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A good amount of scholarship has been published in the last few years on Official Ireland’s obsessive focus on Israel, Irish antisemitism, and on the “pro-Palestinian” or Paddystinian (their adopted term) activist movement in Ireland. This includes David Collier’s extremely thorough investigative report on antisemitism in Ireland and Donal Moloney’s recent Substack essay, “Rallying round the flag: a diagnosis of Paddystinianism” in which the author rightly contends that “Ireland has engaged in vilification of Israel to an unforgivable extent over the past two years” and proffered an explanation of why this might be the case.
Building upon these works as well as others of a similar nature, I argue that in order to properly understand Paddystinianism in its most extreme incarnation, it’s imperative to examine the movement through an anthropological lens, one which will serve to help explain how the “pro-Palestinian” movement operates within a particular society. Such an analysis will be useful for academics, concerned observers, and law enforcement alike.
Imagine, if you would, arriving in Ireland with a proverbial blank slate, without any knowledge of that country’s history or politics and then seeing so many “pro-Palestinian” banners and street demonstrations. One might be puzzled by this seeming obsession and be tempted to turn to the media to understand it. However, rather than giving one a critical appraisal of the situation at hand, all one encountered was near constant, uncritical praise in the Irish media for the aforementioned protests. Rather than answer the question of why “Palestine” has seemingly taken such a hold on the Irish imagination, newspapers merely published opinion columns on a daily basis, all of which repeated the same unquestioned truism, albeit in slightly different forms: Irish identity and Palestinian history are inextricably linked.
But why, one might ask?
It would then only seem logical to seek out various academics and politicians for their opinions on the matter. But once again, one would likely encounter the same ‘explanations’ as those offered by the media establishment, a situation leaving one bewildered and confused. It would be as if one were trapped in a funhouse looking at myriad distorted images of one’s self that don’t conform to objective reality, only to be repeatedly told that these reflections were unquestionably real and off limits to objective inquiry.
This is the feedback loop that permeates Official Ireland, an academic-NGO complex that aims to keep the population in a state of abject ignorance about Israel and Jewish peoplehood, and the ‘grassroots’ Paddystinian movement.
One is expected to accept dogma as truth, to disregard critical thinking, and to repeat what one is told without question. This is where an anthropological inquiry becomes highly illuminating, for it allows for a wider investigation into not only what the movement believes, but also how it operates and more saliently, how it sustains itself in the face of outside information that runs contrary to the narrative.
Simply put, Paddystinianism operates much like a cult, one in which there are accepted modes of behavior and belief, a deference to authority figures, and a series of enforcement mechanisms that exist to keep members in line. One cannot neatly separate these three aspects of how Paddystinianism functions in society, for they constantly overlap with one another in a concerted effort to maintain control of the cult’s proverbial members, many of whom have effectively been brainwashed into their beliefs by constant exposure to anti-Israel propaganda.
Let me offer a theoretical example that I believe will help illustrate the cult’s tripartite operational structure:
Author X decides to write a critical analysis of why so many in Ireland seem to have an unhealthy obsession with Israel and with Jews, in general. In so doing, he begins to question the official narrative about Irish and Palestinian solidarity and comes to his own conclusions. Upon publishing his analysis in a social media post, he becomes subject to constant online abuse, with many calling him “not Irish” or a “West Brit.” Some even call him a “Zionist,” a term employed in an emphatically derogatory manner. Death threats, real or implied, are made.
The ‘crime’ of which the cult has found this individual ‘guilty’ is betraying the cult’s doctrines and engaging in critical analysis of a most complex situation. Indeed, the Paddystinian cult, much like a totalitarian political parties that also have cult-like features, demands constant obedience, even if one is not an official ‘member.’ The only belief that the cult will permit is that Irish and Palestinian Arab solidarity is deeply rooted in culture and history. Any challenge to this belief is perceived as a threat to the cult’s authority and modes of belief.
In behaving in a manner that betrays the cult’s socially constructed feedback loop, Author X has acted in a manner that threatens the sanctity of the cult and therefore must be punished for not accepting the cult’s absolute and unquestionable authority. Any abuse, including death threats, is permitted in the name of preserving the cult’s authority over all matters dealing with “Palestine.” For its part, the Paddystinian cult, always angry and enraged, relies upon both the media and a loose network of social media users who abuse and mock free thinkers online, hoping that enough opprobrium will force the author into permanent submission.
Like all cults, however, Paddystinianism has its numerous weak points.
Most notably, toxic fragility and the deeply held belief that it, as a movement, is ‘on the right side of history.’ Indeed, as the movement grows larger and gains more adherents, its weaknesses — most notably, the complete disregard for critical thinking and facts — will become more apparent to the casual observer. It is thus incumbent upon those who support robust intellectual debate in the public sphere to support those voices in Ireland who bravely dare to question the official narrative.
Those within the cult will almost certainly take issue with this analysis, of course. Beholden to rituals such as street rallies in which they call for ‘ending Zionism,’ the cult’s most fervent members are perhaps too brainwashed to be reached at the moment. But that doesn’t mean that their fervent belief of their being on the ‘right side of history’ needs to be indulged by the rest of the world. Paddystinians, like all cults on the defensive, may feel that they are being singled out for their beliefs by a hostile world, but they have to know that, like all cults, their views and practices will eventually become known to ‘outsiders’ who will look askance at their ways.
In short, the cult may be able to ‘police’ some people some of the time, but they won’t be able to exert their authority on everyone, everywhere at all times. Far from it. Let us then work in concert for a day when the deprogramming of these cult members can begin and a de-radicalization process can take hold. Ireland deserves so much better than what the cult of Paddystinianism offers.
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