Perched in the driver’s seat of a lime green CLAAS tractor, a young man named Dylan told me he was the second tractor to arrive on O’Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare, for fuel protests that would bring Ireland to a standstill for nearly a week. The tractor ahead of him, belonging to his boss, bore a sign warning, “No Farms, No Food.” The 19-year-old agricultural contract worker sat with two friends, young women aged 16 and 17, who had come to support him. He had spent nights sleeping in the tractor through the biting April cold, alongside many other farmers, fishers, and truckers whose vehicles lined both sides of the street.
“It’s profit before people,” Dylan said, summarizing the protesters’ grievances about the government’s decision to maintain a 60% levy in duties and taxes on fuel during the crisis. “It’s affecting everyone—it’s affecting our businesses, it’s affecting you if you’re running a car or heating your house. Eventually, if we don’t get what we want, it’s going to start affecting the price of food on the shelves, and no one will be able to afford anything.”
The illegal war on Iran, as the Irish president rightly condemned it, shows no sign of ending soon. The resulting oil price shock is now exposing Ireland’s acute dependency on fossil fuels, road transport, and a volatile global supply system—as well as successive governments’ failure to plan ahead for a just transition to clean energy.
For six days, fuel protesters blocked motorways and ports, and barricaded Ireland’s only oil refinery in County Cork, along with fuel depots in Limerick and Galway. By Friday, petrol stations were starting to run dry. While government ministers vilified the protests as “wrong” and a threat to national security and critical supplies—with the justice minister even threatening to deploy the army—on the streets of the capital, I saw little but solidarity and support. A Dublin woman arrived with a bag of sandwiches, urging the young people in the tractor to “keep going.” A survey published on Sunday showed 56% of people supported the protesters.
O’Connell Street is named in honor of Daniel O’Connell, a 19th-century nationalist known as the liberator, who convened massive “monster meetings” of protesters demanding non-violent reform. Tractors flying tricolors were parked outside buildings still marked with bullets from the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule—a direct action that was initially unpopular due to the disruption it caused. One lorry displayed a coffin painted with “RIP Ireland,” and in its front window, placards declared “Easter 2026.”
Yet, I listened to a caller on national radio who acknowledged that, yes, people were struggling to heat their homes or feared for their futures—but couldn’t they protest differently, perhaps taking over just one side of a road? Others were understandably concerned about vulnerable people prevented by the blockades from reaching hospital appointments or chemotherapy sessions. But the protest only made an impact and captured international headlines because of its direct action. The notion that grassroots protest must be passive, led by “recognized” organizations, or even consistently coherent in its goals, reveals a limited understanding of democracy.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, faced with the arrival of mounted units and riot police, the tractors and trucks agreed to leave O’Connell Street peacefully. After days of refusing to engage with the fuel protesters, the government announced concessions worth €500 million (on top of an earlier €250 million package), including cuts to excise duty and potential delays to a carbon tax increase. Direct action made it happen.
A no-confidence vote scheduled for Tuesday is unlikely to dislodge the coalition of center-right Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties, despite mounting criticism of their mishandling of the crisis. The young tractor driver I spoke to wasn’t old enough to vote in the last general election.Neither he nor anyone I spoke to at the protest has any faith in political parties. This is hardly surprising. With a widespread loss of trust in political power and traditional representative groups, grassroots protests—sparked by a desperate 20% rise in fuel prices since last month—were complicated by agitators on social media and an ecosystem of disinformation. Government policies have deepened inequality during years of unprecedented wealth generation in Ireland, creating fertile ground for a far-right fringe that blames migrants and refugees for a housing and cost-of-living crisis, which was really caused by a failure to make basic needs affordable.
At the fuel protest in Dublin, some speakers were known for promoting anti-immigrant conspiracies and for misogynist, violent rhetoric, such as saying Irish women need to “breed” more. It also emerged that one of the protest spokespeople has convictions for cruelty and neglect of farm animals.
The Muslim Sisters of Éire, an organization that has run a soup kitchen for homeless people on O’Connell Street for years, described being told on Friday night to “go home” by individuals waving Irish flags, who said the country was “only for the Irish.” The women stressed they still support the fuel protesters’ goals but noted this was the most xenophobic rhetoric they had encountered in their years of helping people.
However, to ignore the genuine concerns of so many workers afraid of losing everything—simply because agitators are trying to profit from the momentum—is to play into the hands of those who seek power through division.
“How can we be far right?” asked Dylan. For him, the protest was “solely about the price of fuel.” But he saw attempts to co-opt it, including an anti-immigration demonstration that made him and others fear the police would turn on everyone, when it had “nothing to do with us.” Dehumanizing and dismissing people like Dylan, as some have done, is a losing game for everyone.
Climate justice depends on greater equality and a fair transition away from fossil fuels. In 2024, data centers in Ireland used more electricity than all urban homes combined, with green energy gains effectively powering big tech companies headquartered here for their low corporate taxes.
We cannot sustainably change how we produce food, move goods, or reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and imports by pushing working people to the brink while serving corporate interests. While Ireland will lobby the EU to reduce or delay the carbon tax burden, it should also join countries like Spain in pushing for an EU agreement to tax the oil and gas industries, which are making massive profits from the crisis.
Beyond fuel prices, these protests raise urgent questions about over-reliance on increasingly fragile global markets. Ireland imports more than 80% of its fruit and vegetables, while many protesting farmers export the food they grow.
We must change our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels—but lasting change cannot be built on suffering and inequality.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Walking through Dublin I spoke with fuel protesters and their supporters but our leaders still dont understand
General Context
Q What is this article or situation about
A Its about a journalist walking in Dublin and talking directly to people protesting high fuel costs The core issue is that these protesters feel their government leaders dont truly grasp the financial hardship these costs are causing
Q Who are the fuel protesters
A They are individuals often from industries like haulage farming or taxi driving and ordinary citizens who are demonstrating against soaring prices for diesel petrol and home heating oil
Q Why is this happening in Ireland
A Like many countries Ireland is experiencing high fuel prices due to global factors and government taxes Protesters argue the government isnt doing enough to shield them from the impact
The Core Conflict
Q What exactly dont our leaders understand according to the protesters
A Protesters feel leaders dont understand how fuel prices are crippling small businesses making commutes unaffordable and forcing families to choose between heating their homes and other essentials
Q Is it just about the price at the pump
A No Its a domino effect High fuel costs increase the price of transporting goods which raises the cost of food and everything else fueling a broader costofliving crisis
Q What are the protesters demanding
A Typically they call for immediate cuts to fuel taxes more government support for affected industries and a longerterm energy strategy to reduce dependence on expensive imports
Perspectives Nuances
Q Whats the governments likely perspective
A The government has to balance immediate relief with longterm goals like funding public services through taxes and transitioning to green energy They may argue that sudden tax cuts could reduce funding for healthcare education or climate initiatives
Q Did the journalist find common ground among the protesters
A The title suggests the journalist heard consistent passionate concerns from the protesters and their supporters indicating a shared feeling of being ignored even if specific solutions might vary
Q Is this just an Irish problem
A No similar protests have occurred across Europe The Irish case highlights a common tension between immediate public hardship and government policy constraints
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