Concerns Over Fuel Protests: Gateway for the Far Right?

By Caitlin Small

The recent fuel protests across the island of Ireland have blocked entire motorways, disrupted schedules and dried up over 1/3 of fuel forecourts. The results of the recent protests are mighty, and an excellent showcase of the extent to which the power of organisation holds.  

That being said, there is a right to worry that such events are either a factor of, or at the very least, a gateway to dangerous right-narratives.  

Yes, the anger of farmers and hauliers is valid. When the act of simply running your own business is effectively drilling it into the ground due to taxes on fuel, it is shocking to no one when the resulting emotion is sadness or betrayal.  

Pull back the curtain on the spokespeople of such protests, however. Take Christopher Duffy, for example. A self-proclaimed “man of the nation”. The very same man has also, allegedly, trivialised the acts of rape and assault against young women, most notably Greta Thunberg, stating he “Couldn’t care less if she got raped or beaten” and that he makes “no apologies for saying that” [1].  

Assault? Sure. But he draws the line at dear diesel! 

Is this the type of person seriously expected to represent those victims to the dismissive government hand? What’s even worse is that quite a lot of online discourse, fuelled by the desire to protect the agricultural industry’s integrity, will go as far as to demean those who criticise his actions. Two things can indeed be mutually exclusive: Christopher Duffy is a terrible person. Assault is a terrible act.  

The issue’s veins are woven more deeply, going beyond the fact that such spokespersons are far-right wolves in sheep’s clothing. Media outlets have jumped on the bandwagon, using justified outrage to promote their own political agenda.  

Irish online media page, The Liberal, shared a post stating, “Scab drivers, believed to be migrants,” were seen transporting fuel out of a Cork oil refinery, protected by the gardaí.  

It should not be needed to say that the conversation on whether these groups were migrants or not provides zero value to the argument as to why scabs actively work against widespread issues in the eyes of protestors. It is clear that all this post aimed to do was further the narrative of “us versus them”. 

Lacking any substantial evidence, or a valid reason to include this piece of information, the protests have been and will likely continue to be used as a vessel to create infighting amongst those at the very bottom of the ladder.  

This instance is not isolated. It is strange how, with nearly every single organised protest, those leading, or a substantial group within, tend to be quite abhorrent. What a coincidence.  

The truth is uncomfortable; the legitimate grievances of farmers and hauliers do not sanitise those championing them, and it would be more than disappointing to allow the entire issue to become overshadowed by this.  These individuals deserve policy change and a government that desires to represent them. Not to be represented by figures who see this suffering as a convenient stepping stone towards a much uglier political landscape.  

And yet, with all this acknowledged, the loudest conversation borne of this is grievances about traffic.  

It is telling that the rallying of ordinary working people blocking roadways generates more fury than the instances leading them here. Students who have been watching their own cost of living spiral out of control, complaining of delays on the M1 and then applying to a bursary fund directly after. Single parents who cannot afford to do a weekly shop are angered at the inconveniences caused by people who cannot afford to keep the lights on, either. The anger is not invalid, just pointing in the wrong direction. 

What makes this cycle so exhausting is not the traffic delays. It is that, come election time, it is fair to say that a significant portion of those involved in the protests will walk into their polling booths and elect the very same parties that got them here, back to power. For a century, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have endured a coalition with relative ease, whilst daily tasks have become untenable. It is no shock that disdain within such a vicious cycle was so easily harvested by such a forthcoming group.  

There is a greater deal at stake than the price of diesel. The current staunch costs, which the government could reduce the tax on, yes, are a direct result of the US and Israel’s illegal invasion of Iran. Ireland, one of the most outspoken critics of the actions of Israel and the US in the EU, finds itself in a concerning position. The rise of far-right influence, which has been utilising situations similar to the fuel outcries in the past, has resulted in movements prioritising nationalism over human rights.  

This is, perhaps, an attempt to fracture the consensus on what made the national position on Palestine’s situation so poignant. The use of “sovereign citizen” language, the carrying of coffins splaying the term “Ireland is dead”, media outlets discussing “migrant scabs”, these are not coincidences.  

Social unrest, as documented, will provide the US with a playing ground of ample resources. A right-leaning populist Ireland will, of course, be receptive to replicating the “America First” style of foreign policy, which, of course, would dismiss any attention paid to Israeli wrongdoing.   

It is of note that there has been little media attention paid to recent protests taking place outside Shannon Airport, which included a 91-year-old activist, Leila Doolan, who walked 220km to protest the US military’s use of Shannon Airport [2]. 

Perhaps the closest Ireland will come to uniting is through the North and South’s joint bootlicking of Turning Point USA, which will no doubt cross the border and attempt to rally in the South once they have finished their prospective rounds up North.  

References  

[1] McDermott, Stephen. 2026. “How Ireland’s Far-Right Movement Got Involved in the Fuel Protests and Tried to Hijack Them.” TheJournal.ie. The Journal. April 11, 2026. https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-fuel-protests-far-right-influence-hijack-7009832-Apr2026/.  

[2] O’Dowd, Enda . 2026. “91-Year-Old Activist Walked 220km to Protest US Military’s Use of Shannon Airport.” The Irish Times. 2026. https://www.irishtimes.com/video/video/2026/04/15/91-year-old-activist-walked-220km-to-protest-us-militarys-use-of-shannon-airport/.