Ms Niamh McDonald:

We need to ask about the policing. What is the operation when those kinds of things are together? There is disinformation online in respect of accommodation centres. There may be particular extremists in areas at particular points of time and then a place goes up in flames. Is there an operation? We have not seen any interventions to prevent that. We do not know of any. That is not to say there have been none. The mystery to us is what is the operation around this. The response is uneven across the country because there is not a uniform approach or a uniform understanding of the dynamics of the far right. There are requirements of our structures in politics, the police and institutionally.

It needs to be caught up on extraordinarily quickly to understand how there is a playbook that the far right uses. We see it as three legs of a stool. They build up those emotions of disgust and replenish those emotions constantly. There is framing and messaging, including them talking about how Ireland is full or military-aged men. They give a simple, clear message. The third is mobilisation.

We were before the children and integration committee this time last year. We see a significant difference in the intensity and militancy of the protests. The numbers are slightly down but now they are using blockades to create that tension and to create what we saw in Roscrea. What is the role of the police within that? As my colleague, Mr. Malone, said earlier, when women and children are being brought into those places, is there a child-centred approach? What happened in Roscrea was not a child-centred approach. In other areas where children are due to come into centres, especially in Cork, the supervisors of staff who will support them, from the HSE, council and other areas, are afraid to send them in because of the hatred and extremism encamped outside. They will have to run this gauntlet every day. What does that mean for the health and safety of the workers?

There is a significant attack on minority communities in Ireland. It is also affecting our structures, workplaces, politics and democracy. That is not fully understood.