Clonakilty has a new Town Mayor in Yousuf Janab Ali. That should be reason to celebrate.

But in the last week, hateful keyboard warriors have made the Mayor the target of racist and Islamophobic abuse.

It’s a stark reminder that digital spaces can amplify hatred beyond any real place ***.

While most of these attacks did not originate in the town itself, we need a firm and united response. No one should face hostility for their race, faith, heritage or identity and in times like these, we should make that clear to anyone who shouts otherwise.

We can’t have anti-immigration thugs like those roaming the streets of Belfast destroy our social contract.

The flare up in the North saw an ugliness that has been simmering beneath the surface come to boiling point, with women and children chased from their homes in the dead of night.

The writing was on the wall as far back as last summer when a widely condemned caricature placed on a bonfire mocked the plight of vulnerable refugees and migrants, showing a small boat with dark-skinned mannequins wearing lifejackets.

Last week an equally despicable banner, depicting bearded men wearing headscarves being stopped at a barrier by a security guard, was removed by the PSNI.

The official depicted held up his hand in a halt gesture and wore a high-vis vest carrying the words ‘our community, our rules’. The image was generated by Artificial Intelligence.

Anti-racism rallies were held across the country, North and South, in the wake of the violence and rioting with those in attendance rightly pointing out that our country would be in trouble without the immigrant work force that helps keep our tourism sector afloat.

Similar rallies were held in the wake of the Dublin riots which have gone down as a ‘do you remember where you were when’ shameful chapter in our history. Again the rioters were whipped into a frenzy via social media as AI-generated misinformation flooded digital platforms.

Emer O’Neill recently shared her experience of growing up in Ireland in The Examiner asking ‘When is someone Irish enough to belong?’ When indeed. Would almost three decades of living and working in Clonakilty and getting heavily involved in community life count at all?

To date our Dáil has no black representation and the numbers in local government remain low. Participation is key to equality and vital for the voices of minority groups to be heard. There is a cohort out there which has made an art form out of blaming every shortcoming and challenge we face on immigration. Hold the front page but the lack of a decent healthcare system and adequate housing are not issues that have presented overnight.  They have been rumbling on for decades. What’s more we of all nations should hang our heads in shame for taking issue if someone wants to relocate to Ireland and build a better future.

The Irish diaspora stretches far and wide and can be traced back to pre-Famine times. As James Connolly famously said: ‘Let no Irishman throw a stone at the foreigner; he may hit his own clansman.’

Mayor Ali was defiant in his response to the abuse and signalled that he would not let the comments bring him down. But he shouldn’t have to put up with discrimination and anti-Muslim rhetoric; online or offline, in office or in his private life.

The Mayor has outlined his inclusive approach and reflects the values Clonakilty holds dear—fairness, respect, and community spirit that cannot be dimmed by hate and racism.

The strong support residents, local groups and public representatives have shown demonstrates that those common values remain intact. This moment is not just about condemnation, but about reaffirming who we are.

Clonakilty and West Cork stands for welcome, not division. When hate appears, online or elsewhere, it must be met with solidarity and resolve. In backing Mayor Ali and standing up to racism, we send a clear message that this is not acceptable, and will not be tolerated.