Anti-immigration riot in Dublin: 'I think Sinn Fein is almost obliged to write-off that section of the electorate'

Social media reports in the immediate aftermath of the attack suggested an immigrant was responsible, leading to serious disorder on the streets of Dublin later the same evening.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has been scathing in her criticism of those who attacked police, burned vehicles and looted shops.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar confirmed that the man suspected of carrying out the attack is an Irish citizen who has been in Ireland for 20, but not born in the state.

Mr Varadkar also asked people not to link the crime to migration, saying it is "not right".

Prof Tonge said he believes the anti-immigration backlash is posing some problems for Sinn Fein, but said the party is more likely to “write-off” the disaffected crowds taking to the streets, rather than target them for potential votes.

“It’s been slightly awkward for Sinn Fein. Because they are a party of the left – pro immigration – quite a strong section of working class opinion in Dublin, particularly in poorer parts of Dublin, that do not want unfettered immigration to Ireland, and I’m not sure that Sinn Fein can handle it to be quite honest,” he said.

"Sinn Fein is not going to change its position to be anti-immigration, so I think Sinn Fein is almost obliged to write-off that section of the electorate.”

A Business Post Red C poll, carried out in the seven days prior to the Dublin riot, showed that support for Sinn Fein had fallen by three points, but it was still the most popular party in the Republic at 29%.

Prof Tonge said that although there is a section of working class people who “would regard themselves as wanting nothing to do with the far right,” but would like to see a tougher line on immigration, he doesn’t believe Sinn Fein will focus on trying to win their votes.

"They will just think ‘we’ll take the hit,’ because ultimately Sinn Fein is still more focussed upon pursuing middle-class votes, where Sinn Fein never got those votes before they became more respectable,” he said.

"In the old days of the IRA, a lot of middle-class people wouldn’t touch Sinn Fein with a barge pole. It’s that which has changed, and that is still continuing to grow for Sinn Fein.

"So I think they’ll just take a view that ‘we’ll have nothing to do with these people, even if it means them being abused on the street as we’ve seen”.

Prof Tonge said he attended the Sinn Fein ard fheis in Athlone last month where “immigration wasn’t an issue”.

He said: “There were plenty of resolutions over the Friday night and the Saturday. They weren’t short of topics they were debating, but immigration just wasn’t featured in it, even though it’s obviously an increasingly salient issue for a section of the Irish Republic.”

As well as condemning those responsible for the Dublin riot, Mary Lou McDonald has been calling for both the Garda commissioner and the Republic’s justice minister to resign.

In a social media post on Thursday, the Sinn Fein president said: “We cannot have a Justice Minister who refuses to acknowledge the political failures that allowed our communities to become unsafe.

"Sinn Féin has been forced to put down a motion of no confidence in the Minister for Justice because this government is not listening.”