Irish road daubed with antisemitic graffiti for NINTH time
Holocaust Awareness Ireland: 'Ireland has experienced a rising trend of antisemitic sentiment across all social strata, including all levels of government and the media'
Irish police have launched a hate crime investigation after roads in County Louth were daubed with antisemitic messages, including swastikas and the Star of David alongside the words “Jew” and “rat”.
The graffiti was daubed on the R165 and L1260 roads, near the town of Ardee. The local council committed to removing the offensive hate speech as quickly as possible, describing the acts as “unacceptable”, and saying that they stood “against our core values of equality and inclusiveness, and our commitment to fostering a respectful and welcoming community for all throughout County Louth.”
The graffiti, which was understood to have appeared last week, just prior to Christmas, was condemned by local councillor Paddy Meade, who confirmed that this was the ninth such example to have been painted on local roads in recent years.
In a Facebook post, Councillor Meade said: “Do we care that Jews are being compared to rats and Nazi symbols are painted on our county roads — for the 9TH TIME? Or is this just something we shrug off now?
“Should we even bother investigating it — even though CCTV was supplied to Gardaí before? Should we stop pulling council staff off real work to clean it up — again — for the ninth time? Because this is how hate spreads. Not with cheers — but with silence.
“I’ve once again contacted An Garda Síochána and both councils. But I’ll ask again: Does anyone mind?”
The Holocaust Awareness Ireland group responded to news of the graffiti by describing how “antisemitic graffiti appears most frequently in countries with a long history of antisemitism. It has been obvious that Ireland has experienced a rising trend of antisemitic sentiment across all social strata, including all levels of government and the media.”
Ireland has seen a sharp rise in cases of antisemitism since 2023, with the country’s small Jewish community reporting how it has felt under threat. A significant percentage of the Irish public identifies closely with the Palestinian cause, with Jewish people speaking up about antisemitism in Ireland regularly faced by those denying or excusing Jew-hate due to the situation in Gaza.
The garda urged anyone with information related to the graffiti to report it, adding that “We would like to reassure those of an ethnic or minority background that we are here to keep you safe.”