Fuel protests 'inevitable' if government proceeds with plans to wind down fuel supports

Hannah Kate Costello

Warnings suggest further protests are "inevitable" if the Government proceeds with its plan to wind down fuel supports.

Fuels for Ireland wants the government to pause plans to increase the excise duty on fuel from September, which it says could push diesel over two euro a litre.

Protests over rising fuel prices brought the country to a standstill earlier this year.

Head of Fuels for Ireland Kevin McPartlan, says patterns on social media which arose ahead of the demonstrations earlier in the year, are repeating now: "seeing the commentary from the people who were high profiled within the protests last time round, one thing that's slightly different this time is that some of the dog whistling."

"Some of the far right stuff that was beginning to appear towards the end of [the last protests], is becoming far more front and center, its not just fuel prices, but fuel pricing seems to be the hook that they are hanging their displeasure on. We definitely see that we are following patterns that we ignored in March."