Fórsa has met with An Garda Síochána on two occasions recently to express concern regarding the safety of library staff.

The union has said the ongoing issues of far-right agitators entering libraries demanding the removal of certain LGBTQ+ books poses a serious threat to the safety and well-being of library workers.

Much of this activity has led to the harassment and intimidation of library workers in their workplace as they are subjected to vile slurs whilst the action is videoed on camera phones and live streamed, even when workers expressly object to being recorded and/or streamed. 

Head of Fórsa’s Local Government and Local Services division, Richy Carrothers, said “There continues to be an imminent and ongoing threat to our library members in their workplaces. 

“We remain very worried about this ongoing campaign of intimidation against library staff, service users, the LGBTQ+ community and advocates. We are concerned about the general response from An Garda Síochána in terms of consistency and appropriate action, which raises the question as to the seriousness with which such instances are being treated,” said Richy.

The union said it was genuinely concerned about increased threats of violence and the potential for serious harm.

Fórsa said it supports and defends the right to protest; however, in many instances these demonstrations have crossed the line from protest into criminality.

This includes incidents of harassment, assault, criminal damage, breach of the peace and other public order offences. These criminal actions, with the added dimension of hate as a motivating factor and the wider impact such hatred has on entire communities, must be fully investigated and perpetrators held to account.

Fórsa also stressed that the perceived lack of a strong and definitive response on the part of An Garda Síochána has emboldened this campaign of abuse and intimidation which has escalated over recent months and library workers fear for what might be next.