Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There has been a sharp rise in hate speech and hate crime across Europe and Ireland is no different in this regard. It has become a particularly worrying and serious phenomenon both online and offline. Hate crimes are existing crimes motivated by hatred against people because of their actual or perceived membership of a particular group. They are message crimes intended to frighten, intimidate and silence entire communities. Hatred comes in all shapes and sizes across the world, even in our own country. We see the sad situation in Ukraine at the moment where a Russian leader who must be full of hatred and the politicians who surround him continue to show such hatred and inflict such pain on innocent men, women and children. I do not include the Russian people in that comment. It is the Russian leader at whom I am pointing the finger. Most Russians are good people and we should not forget that as this terrible affliction is being imposed on Ukraine.

In our country, many young people have been hurt on social media. It may be beyond the scope of these provisions but it is very worrying and there have been many reports of young people dying by suicide as a result. I hope that, in some way or another, we can see a means of giving some protection to young people in this regard.

As I said, hatred comes in all shapes and sizes. There is frustration among people with the Government to do with the fuel crisis. Such frustration leads to anger, and anger leads to hatred. The Minister and her colleagues need to step back and understand the pain people are feeling at present.

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