Irish singer-songwriter Maverick sabre aka Michael Stafford took to Instagram yesterday to voice his opinions concerning the Dublin riots, which took place last Thursday, 23rd of November.

"Ireland we are being divided," Sabre's statement began.

"The establishment are happy to see people burning cities and hating each other because they can pit the classes against each other. They are happy you are blaming the country’s issues on immigrants because it means you are not pointing the blame at the powerful."

 

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Maverick Sabre's comments follow violent riots on Dublin's O' Connell Street last week, which saw businesses looted, public property destroyed and buildings set alight; in response to a knife attack on three children and their care assistant outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire, an Irish-medium primary school in the North inner city.

"The housing crisis. Is a political choice. Homeless crisis. A political choice.
Underfunding of our mental health services. A political choice," Maverick stated.

"Corruption will continue, Vulture funds will continue to exist. Prices will continue to rise," his statement continued. "We cannot let our anger be manipulated by those who do not have our best interests at heart. Feeding off outrage to fit their own agenda."

Since releasing his debut studio effort Lonely Are the Brave, Maverick Sabre has gone on to establish himself as a singular Irish talent within the UK and Irish rap scenes, with his distinctive vocals and atmospheric sonics. Drawing from Irish, American and UK musical traditions, as well as the Irish trad and blues of his family's heritage, Maverick is known for his brutally and unashamedly honest songwriting. Having previously weighed in on social inequality via social media, Maverick often levels socio-political critique through his music, with tracks from his third effort When I Wake Up lyrically dealing with the lack of justice for the victims and families of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

Maverick Sabre at The 3Olympia, Dublin, 4th of November 2022. Copyright Alex Curran-hotpress.com

"We are a nation of immigrants," the musician's statement continued. "Travelling to all corners of the world looking for a better life. We were also demonised, called savages and criminals when we first came to America and the UK. They feared we would ‘take their jobs’, bring over a foreign religion and be used as a political force against their traditions.

"It’s all a distraction."

In response to the clashes, which saw anti-immigrant sentiments stoked by far-right activists on social media, Tánaiste Michaél Martin expressed concern regarding Irish hate speech legislation. “It is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. “Legislation will be brought in that respect and also we have to robustly engage with some media platforms in terms of their facilitation of such online hate and bile, which can lead to violence. I know that many people are now afraid. The Tánaiste also took aim at Elon Musk-owned platform X, formerly Twitter, for not cooperating with tackling such material, stating that they are "not cooperating" in their measures to censor hateful content.

"Racism and nationalism won’t change anything, it only does the work of the old colonising mentality that the Irish fought against," Sabre said. "We need unity and love, with a fight in us for change. We can and should demand real change but that needs to start at the top.

"We will just live in cycles of the same shit until then, while those responsible remain in the shadows watching us crumble."

The singer-songwriter concluded his statement by extending his wishes towards the families and children affected by the attack, saying: "Prayers go out to all the children and families affected by the horrible attack outside of the Dublin school last week. That should go without saying."

The Wexford-London producer, vocalist and rapper also took to Twitter to critique the violently anti-immigrant sentiments expressed by Ireland's far-right last Thursday, highlighting the treatment of Irish immigrants abroad after the famine. "This was America's attitude towards the Irish after the famine," he said.

"'They were bringing with them crime. They were accused of being rapists. These undesirables were Irish.'"

We can't forget our own history. This was America's attitude towards the Irish after the famine.

'They were bringing with them crime. They were accused of being rapists. These undesirables were Irish.'https://t.co/ASwK1CmkR6

— Maverick Sabre (@MaverickSabre) November 25, 2023

Read Maverick Sabre's full statement regarding the Dublin riots below: 

Ireland we are being divided.

The establishment are happy to see people burning cities and hating each other because they can pit the classes against each other.

They are happy you are blaming the country’s issues on immigrants because it means you are not pointing the blame at the powerful.

The riots last week only give the state an excuse to bring in tougher surveillance, tougher policing and restrictions on any critiquing voice. Never addressing the real issues in the country.

The government will stay filling their friends and their own pockets, while they watch us fall into the trap of division.

The housing crisis. Is a political choice.
Homeless crisis. A political choice.
Underfunding of our mental health services. A political choice.

Corruption will continue, Vulture funds will continue to exist. Prices will continue to rise. We cannot let our anger be manipulated by those who do not have our best interests at heart. Feeding off outrage to fit their own agenda.

We are a nation of immigrants. Travelling to all corners of the world looking for a better life. We were also demonised called savages and criminals when we first came to America and the UK. They feared we would ‘take their jobs’, bring over a foreign religion and be used as a political force against their traditions. It’s all a distraction.

Racism and nationalism won’t change anything, it only does the work of the old colonising mentality that the Irish fought against. We need unity and love, with a fight in us for change. We can and should demand real change but that needs to start at the top. We will just live in cycles of the same shit until then, while those responsible remain in the shadows watching us crumble.

(Prayers go out to all the children and families affected by the horrible attack outside of the Dublin school last week. That should go without saying.)