Irish anti-immigration groups have been working alongside British nationalists and Northern Irish loyalists, a new report shows. Anti-immigration figures have also closely worked with far-right groups that staged anti-LGBTQ+ protests in recent years in Ireland.

Published by the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, an anti-extremism think tank, the Emerging cross-border dynamics in Ireland’s anti-migrant mobilisation report highlights how anti-immigration mobilisation in Ireland has entered a new, more organised phase. While such sentiments began to spread with scattered protests in 2022, they have now evolved into a more structured movement with international ties.

The report highlights how anti-immigration groups in 2025 have used “street protests, intimidation, targeted violence and coordinated amplification online” as part of their strategy. Recent protests in Coolock (Dublin), Ballymena (Northern Ireland), and Limerick have also shown evidence of the cross-border infrastructure of such mobilisation.

One of the most interesting findings of the report is the fact that Irish nationalists who espouse anti-immigration sentiments seem to be working collaboratively with Northern Irish loyalists and British nationalists. Historically, these groups have operated in opposition, with different objectives and narratives.

However, images from the Ballymena and Limerick protests in June 2025 show Irish tricolours being waved alongside Ulster flags, which are associated with Northern Irish loyalists. Moreover, some Irish anti-immigration figures have promoted former members of the Ulster Volunteer Force on their social media.

Anti-immigrant protestors went to join loyalists in Belfast yesterday. They had a flag of Tri-colour together with Ulster banner.

A fake sense of unity of hating POCs and Muslim immigrants.
pic.twitter.com/busNBRRUqc

— DOZA🧐 (@lil_doza) May 18, 2025

One example of these ties, as the report notes, was that far-right British nationalist Tommy Robinson was welcomed to Dublin by Irish nationalist Derek Blighe, former leader of the Ireland First political party. In the past, Robinson, who himself has an extensive criminal record, has supported Soldier F, an officer who faces trial for his role in the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1972 after an inquiry found that he killed multiple Irish civilians in Derry.

“Groups who’ve historically been on opposite sides—Irish nationalists and Northern Irish loyalists—are now finding common ground in anti-migrant narratives,” Zoe Manzi, author of the report, said.

“It’s a major shift that shows old ideological lines are breaking down, replaced by shared grievances that are driving a growing and increasingly visible anti-migrant movement across the island.”

Furthermore, the report also highlighted how international far-right groups are using protests that took place in Ireland to push their own narratives. “These include British neo-Nazi and far-right networks (some with direct ties to Loyalist groups in Northern Ireland); North American influencers who frame Irish unrest as part of a broader cultural war; and Russian-aligned propaganda outlets promoting polarising content,” the report reads.