Aoife Gallagher, Ciarán O’Connor & Francesca Visser (2023) Uisce Faoi Thalamh, An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland. Topic Analysis. Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
Country
Ireland
Title
Aoife Gallagher, Ciarán O’Connor & Francesca Visser (2023) Uisce Faoi Thalamh, An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland. Topic Analysis. Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
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Year
2023
Publication type
Research evidence/report
Geographical coverage
National
Area/location of interest
Not applicable - national level
Type of Institution
Academic/research institution
Institution
UK, Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Thematic focus
Hate speech: Public incitement to hatred or violence
Groups
Migrants
Key findings
The report noted that within the online mis- and disinformation ecosystem in Ireland from January 2020 to April 2023, while initially focused on health-related misinformation, particularly around COVID-19, discussions shifted over time. By mid-2022, there was a notable increase in content targeting immigrants, with many posts specifically focusing on Muslim communities. Anti-Muslim sentiments were often framed within broader conspiracy theories. Claims suggested that Muslim immigrants were part of a deliberate strategy to alter Ireland's cultural and religious landscape, echoing the "Great Replacement" theory prevalent in far-right discourses. The proliferation of online anti-Muslim content corresponded with real-world incidents. The report notes that areas with heightened online activity against Muslim communities experienced increased occurrences of hate crimes and protests against immigration. Page 30: Finglas: Case Study Examining the Spread of Anti-Asylum Seeker Disinformation “During the week of 27 January – 3 February, Finglas played host to several protests centered at the local Garda station concerning allegations that two asylum seekers or migrants sexually assaulted a white Irish woman. The allegations were fueled by disinformation whereby a false narrative was produced and disseminated across the web by influential online actors. [ …] The Gardaí also noted that there was a “significant volume of misinformation and disinformation” in circulation regarding the incident and both they and the media were accused of a cover up as extremists capitalised on the incident to further their own nativist agendas. Calls to action for further anti-immigration protests and suspicion and fear towards asylum seekers and migrants were encouraged.” […] “Interestingly, it appears the Finglas attack was even used to spread hateful anti-Muslim narratives by far-right accounts in other regions of the world. Early on 29 January, Hindu ethnonationalist accounts online began circulating a post that claimed that police in Ireland were investigating a “Muslim Jihadi suspect” for the sexual assault of a woman in Finglas, adding that protests against the “Muslim migrant “plantation”” were spreading across Ireland.” [...]
Methodology (Qualitative/Quantitative and exact type used, questionnaires etc)
A ‘mixed methods’ approach was employed that used both quantitative and qualitative research. Two specific types of analysis were conducted – platform analysis and narrative analysis.
Sample details and representativeness
ISD analysts identified social media accounts through a range of methodologies, filtered these for relevance and activity, and analysed the content of a sample of 1640 accounts.
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