Irish Examiner view: People are taking a stand against the far right
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British prime minister Keir Starmer has been asked to recall parliament from its summer recess to address the situation, and retailers are reporting a sharp drop in footfall as customers stay away from shopping areas to avoid the violence, much of which is focused on immigrants and ethnic minorities.
It would be easy to take a pessimistic view given the widespread outbreaks of mob violence, and such pessimism would be reinforced if one consulted social media, which is also a strong driver of that violence, given the false messaging on various platforms about the identity of the perpetrator of the Southport killings.
Yet there are also more hopeful signs emerging in recent days.
On Wednesday evening, thousands of people gathered in London in opposition to far-right groups, with reports identifying a mix of Muslims; anti-racist and anti-fascist groups; trade unionists; left-wing organisations; and locals coming together in Hackney, Walthamstow, and Finchley.
There were similar demonstrations in Liverpool, where hundreds of people formed a human shield outside a church that hosts an immigration advice centre, and at other locations from Brighton to Northampton.
It is encouraging to see people respond to a threat to their communities by mobilising in response and taking control of events, as it would be all too easy to cede control of the streets to criminals who are motivated less by ideology than by criminal intent.
It is disheartening to realise that racism and bigotry are still problems we must confront today. The willingness of thousands of people to make a stand against such poison is encouraging, even if no one wishes it were still necessary.
Last weekend, a bus driver in the Cork area was involved in a frightening incident when a passenger who forcibly boarded a bus threatened to cut the driver’s throat.
Garda inquiries are ongoing into the incident, which is not the first of its kind in recent weeks. Last month a female bus driver in Limerick was shot in the face by an air gun after being threatened by a group of youths who refused to pay their fares.
First and foremost those who threaten or assault bus drivers should be pursued to the full extent of the law. It is not acceptable that anyone should be threatened or assaulted while at work.
When commenting on the Limerick incident, the National Bus and Rail Union called for a dedicated Garda Public Transport Unit to be established, adding that this was a “long-standing call” from the union. It is certainly difficult to argue against the creation of such a dedicated unit when drivers are being shot at and intimidated.
It is a matter of public record that Bus Éireann has had difficulties in recruiting staff, particularly in the Cork area, in recent months, and incidents such as that last weekend will hardly boost recruitment. Who would take on a job where one’s safety cannot be guaranteed?
An unsurprising consequence of such incidents is the cancellation of bus services until the situation is resolved, which creates problems for members of a community deprived of their bus service through no fault of their own.
However, bus drivers are entitled to work in a safe environment. We are rightly outraged when frontline staff such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, and gardaí are injured or assaulted in the line of duty, and bus drivers are no different, given the vital community service they provide all over Ireland.
If a dedicated transport police unit is required to ensure their safety, then it should be established as soon as possible.
The passing of Jack Karlson, aged 82, in his native Australia, was a featured item in TV news broadcasts and newspapers in recent days, but the name may not immediately resonate with many readers on this side of the world.
However, phrases such as “What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?” or “Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest” may ring a bell.
Karlson was filmed being arrested in 1991 outside a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane, with his resonant voice questioning the officers putting him into a squad car. The clip was uploaded to the internet in 2009 and took on a viral life of its own, particularly in his home country.
The clip gave life to thousands of memes and musical remixes, reaction videos, T-shirts, and tattoos. Democracy Manifest was also the name of an Australian racehorse.
Karlson himself maintained that the arrest, which eventually made him a household name, or meme, was a case of mistaken identity — that the police had mistaken him for an obscure Hungarian chess player.
“They thought I was some international gangster,” he said.
In real life he had a long career in petty crime, breaking out of prison at least three times and escaping from a Sydney courthouse on one occasion by impersonating a police detective.
Long before he died on Wednesday last, he had made friends with Stoll Watt, one of the policemen who arrested him in Brisbane back in 1991.
If Karlson had trademarked one of his famous phrases, Watt said, he would have died a millionaire.