Results 1-20 of 35 for blasphemy speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: ...Doherty, and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, on improvements to processes. I seek that debate as a matter of urgency. Yesterday during our very stimulating debate on the Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill, Senator Ned O'Sullivan pointed out the need for legislation on hate crime. A number of us have been pressing for that for some time....

Seanad: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: ...devoted to saying what a waste of time this all was. The waste of time was the introduction in 2009 by the then Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Mr. Dermot Ahern, of a new statutory offence of blasphemy.

Seanad: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: ..., it is very important that we move to hold the referendum. This legislation is now necessary to give effect to the desire of the people who voted by a majority of 64.85% to remove the offence of blasphemy. I was involved as one of the political representatives on the Constitutional Convention in 2013, which also recommended the removal of the offence of blasphemy. It should never have...

Seanad: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: ...I know the Minister of State is aware of that also. There are three crucial reasons to welcome this legislation. First, this is outdated, and I have explained that with respect to the origins of blasphemy. Anyone who looks at the history of the use of blasphemy offences will be aware of that, particularly when we have a Republic that is, as it should be, premised on the separation of...

Seanad: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and am indebted to him. Blasphemy law is dangerous and others have spoken about this. The continued existence of not only a constitutional but a statutory offence since 2009 here has been used in other jurisdictions where we have seen people of minority faiths, especially those who are Christians, being oppressed, abused or suffering terrible physical danger...

Seanad: An Bille um an Ochtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Scaoileadh ar Phósadh) 2016: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Dissolution of Marriage) Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Apr 2019)

Ivana Bacik: ...and those campaigning for a Yes vote tend to be cautious about referendum proposals. Nonetheless, as I stated on Second Stage, we could be somewhat more radical at times. Certainly, on the blasphemy referendum in November last, we should have gone further and not only removed blasphemy from the Constitution but removed the other offences in the same article. It is unfortunate we did not...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2018)

Ivana Bacik: ...foot of condemnation of the incident. It is an appalling attack on journalism, free speech, democratic principles and the rule of law and needs to be condemned outright. I hope the referendum on blasphemy will be passed on Friday. I would then like us to have a debate on reforming the incitement to hatred laws. The Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 prohibits incitement to...

Seanad: Thirty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter) Bill 2018: Second Stage - An Bille um an Seachtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Cion a aisghairm arb éard é ní diamhaslach a fhoilsiú nó a aithris) 2018: An Dara Céim (20 Sep 2018)

Ivana Bacik: ...this debate. On behalf of the Labour Party group in the Seanad, I speak in support of this Bill. I am delighted that we will finally have the opportunity to vote on the removal of the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution. The continued presence of this offence in our Constitution is not tenable in a modern, democratic state. It is not tenable in the context of our international...

Seanad: Thirty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter) Bill 2018: Second Stage - An Bille um an Seachtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Cion a aisghairm arb éard é ní diamhaslach a fhoilsiú nó a aithris) 2018: An Dara Céim (20 Sep 2018)

Ivana Bacik: I will check but certainly we were assured by the then Minister with responsibility for justice, former Deputy Dermot Ahern, that he was obliged to introduce a statutory offence of blasphemy because of the constitutional position. As far as I can see, this is a tidying-up exercise to ensure that the Constitution is modernised and brought into line with contemporary thought. As a criminal...

Seanad: Thirty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter) Bill 2018: Second Stage - An Bille um an Seachtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Cion a aisghairm arb éard é ní diamhaslach a fhoilsiú nó a aithris) 2018: An Dara Céim (20 Sep 2018)

Ivana Bacik: ...that the Government has said that it will repeal section 36 of the Defamation Act if the constitutional amendment is passed. That is appropriate. There should be no place in our law any more for blasphemy offences. We know from the history of blasphemy offences, which I will not rehearse again because we went through it in 2009, that they have typically been used by individual religions...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 May 2017)

Ivana Bacik: ...Patten and which led to the foundation of the PSNI. That is how serious the structural issue we are dealing with is. The Stephen Fry case that came to light over the weekend highlights the ridiculous nature of our law on blasphemy.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 May 2017)

Ivana Bacik: There is an absolutely clear need to repeal the provision in the Defamation Act 2009 which introduced the new statutory offence of blasphemy and then to have a constitutional referendum to remove blasphemy from the Constitution.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 May 2015)

Ivana Bacik: ..., quite rightly, to the Constitutional Convention and some other very important recommendations that I regret we did not get to put to the people, in particular the voting age, the removal of blasphemy and the place of women in the home. They are all referendums which are now overdue.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: ...expression because that is the other issue, apart from security and criminal justice matters, in particular about the way we legislate on that. Many people have pointed to problems with the offence of blasphemy. I was hugely critical of the offence as it passed through this House and the Dáil in 2009 as part of the Defamation Act. We could look at amending the legislation to ensure...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2014)

Ivana Bacik: ...equality, such as the recommendations of the Constitutional Convention on the age of voting, which it recommended would be reduced to 16 years, and on the proposed removal of the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution, which the convention also recommended should be put to the people. Could I also ask for a debate on the recommendations of the low pay commission after it has given its...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage (3 Dec 2014)

Ivana Bacik: ...Act, but I will conclude by saying that the most pressing issue in the Defamation Act of 2009 which requires review, is section 36, which, as everyone knows, created a new statutory offence of blasphemy. In this House, myself and Senator Norris in particular were very critical of that Bill. It was introduced by then Minister, Dermot Ahern, as a late amendment. Nobody was quite sure why,...

Seanad: Racism in Ireland: Motion (4 Jun 2014)

Ivana Bacik: ...any objective lay person, but prosecutions have failed because they could not get over this hurdle. Clearly, the Act must be revised. The Constitutional Convention this year looked at replacing the blasphemy offence in the Constitution and the archaic, yet recent, statutory definition of blasphemy introduced by the former Minister, Mr. Dermot Ahern, in the Defamation Act, bizarrely, with...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Tom Arnold (16 Jan 2014)

Ivana Bacik: ...recommendation on the role of women, which reflects the reality of Ireland today.  There should be a gender-neutral provision recognising the role of carers and we should eliminate any specific reference to women's role in the home.  I am glad we have made a recommendation on the removal of blasphemy as an offence under the Constitution.  That will provide us with an...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2013)

Ivana Bacik: ...the chairperson of the convention, to speak to us not only about that recommendation but also about the range of recommendations the convention has made, including the most recent recommendation on blasphemy. It recommended last weekend that this offence should be deleted from the Constitution. It would be good to hear from Mr. Arnold about the work the convention has done and the work...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2013)

Ivana Bacik: ...Convention recommendation. It is very welcome. I was one of the many legislators who attended the convention this weekend, where a majority voted in favour of a removal of the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution. I hope we will see other referenda also taking place on similar recommendations of the convention.