Social media algorithms are encouraging anti-migrant violence, says campaign group
The Hope and Courage Collective (HCC) said that in recent years the focus has been on homeless asylum seekers, who regularly faced threats and attacks on their tents.
The trend has coincided with the increasing number of male asylum seekers being forced to sleep rough due to a lack of state accommodation since 2023.
There have been many instances of anti-immigration figures filming homeless men in recent years, including physical attacks and the slashing of asylum seekers' tents,
READ MORE
'Each post increases in reach, and the more the creator leans into hateful, dehumanising narratives the more attention the content receives. The pattern is unmistakable: hate fuels growth,' the report said.
In a 'snapshot' study, the group documented one far-right agitator uploading multiple videos of homeless asylum seekers to
TikTok
over a 10-day period, which gained increasing numbers of views.
This culminated in the asylum seekers being threatened with arson and the destruction of their tents.
The three Somali asylum seekers were targeted as they
stayed in tents in Herbert Park in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, last month
.
'Between July 3rd and 13th we analysed and documented a campaign of harassment whose online presence and reach grew rapidly from a few thousand views to over 124,000. The user posted footage of men in tents, encouraging followers to identify locations. He eventually filmed himself slashing tents,' Niamh McDonald from the Hope and Courage Collective said.
One incident was caught on video where a man can be heard saying: 'Get the f**k out now. I'll be back in 15 minutes and I am going to f**king burn them. I am going to ring fellas now and they are coming with dogs, dogs. You have 15 minutes to get the f**k out of here.'
The antiracism campaign group said these tactics started in May 2023 after a group of homeless asylum seekers set up a camp in a laneway on Sandwith Street, Dublin city centre.
Over five days the camp was repeatedly attacked,
culminating in the tents being set on fire
.
Copycats soon began mirroring these tactics, particularly two new 'hate organisers' who began posting videos of homeless asylum seekers and racking up hundreds of thousands of views, the group said.
'Their tactics escalated over time as their videos featured explicit intimidation, verbal abuse and threats of violence towards men living in homeless encampments. They shared footage across TikTok,
YouTube
and
X
. The emotive content, shares, comments and likes grow their online audience,' it said.
The same men have been involved in masked protests outside the homes of politicians, including the house of
Simon Harris
when he was taoiseach, and have been intimidating workers at sites they claimed were intended for international protection.
Hope and Courage Collective said social media algorithms were 'one of the main causes in this escalation of violence' and it called for
EU
measures to combat systems which amplify violence and hatred.
'European Commissioner
Michael McGrath
has the opportunity to show brave political leadership and tackle online hate by turning off the harmful recommender system, a river of hate that promotes outrage and results in real world violence, as part of Europe's new Democracy Shield being developed right now,' Ms McDonald said.
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