Armed individuals wearing masks and standing in front of an Irish flag have made threats towards politicians and identified “legitimate targets” in a video described as alarming. The video features a man in a black hoodie, balaclava, and blue gloves reading from a script, flanked by two masked companions carrying firearms. The man expressed intentions to target politicians in Newry, Mourne, and Down in Northern Ireland, citing concerns about increased migration into the area.
Identified as the “New Republican Movement,” the group also cited issues such as the alleged “sexual indoctrination” of school children as reasons for their actions. The video, deemed “sinister,” gained significant traction on social media platforms, garnering over 2.1 million views on Twitter alone.
The origin and timing of the video remain unclear, although it was shared recently on social media by the account Real News Eire, known for posting anti-immigrant content. Various political figures in Northern Ireland swiftly condemned the threats following their circulation.
Superintendent Lynne Corbett of the Police Service of Northern Ireland denounced the threats as unacceptable and assured an investigation to identify those responsible. Sinn Fein MP Daire Hughes described the threats as an assault on democracy, while an SDLP councillor labeled them as an “escalation” of previous incidents targeting immigration policies.
Newry, Mourne, and Down District Council reported having a low number of asylum seekers with refugee status in Northern Ireland, with less than 40 individuals in the area. Protests against asylum seekers have sparked both in Ireland and the UK, ranging from peaceful demonstrations to violent confrontations in recent years.