Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all colleagues for their contributions and broad support for the motion. I said a lot in my introductory remarks but will make a few points that reflect so much of what has been said in the debate. First, there are people living in this country who are afraid. They are afraid to leave their houses, go on public transport and live their lives the way I and others here do. That might sound extreme or like I am exaggerating. Before we published the draft Bill, the hate crime Bill, there was a lot of consultation, not only with my Department, State agencies, An Garda Síochána, NGOs and community organisations but also with individuals who came forward and wanted to tell their stories. It is quite sad that there are people living in this country who are afraid to leave their homes. We need to respond to that and do so effectively.

Second, we live in a world that is changing. Hate crime, hate speech, racism, xenophobia and antisemitism know no borders or boundaries. We have to take on the facts that people now communicate in different ways and that online platforms and social media play a huge part. It is fantastic that we can communicate with people on the other side of the world literally at the push of a button, but ease of access now means it is much easier for people to spread hate and fear and discriminate in new forms. We have seen this manifest itself in extreme ways, most recently in France, where an individual was radicalised via his computer screen in his room to the point where he decapitated a teacher because of his beliefs or what was said to him. This is an extreme case but it reflects what is happening.

Most recently, as we all mentioned, we have noted the extreme circumstances in which a particular group of people, Ukrainian citizens, are being targeted and hate speech is being spread. We are now at the point where there is a war happening on Ukrainian soil, Ukraine being a sovereign state that has been invaded. We need to respond to this effectively.

I reassure Deputies that I am in no way in favour of limiting free speech or expression. It is a right we all have. In no way will this motion or the Bill I will soon introduce conflict with people's constitutional right. We have clear advice from the Attorney General on that. Hate speech, whether delivered in person, in print or online, is real and in many instances leads to hate crime. We need to respond effectively. The best way to do that is to make sure we have appropriate laws that the Garda can implement and that allow it to prosecute. Also, we must work collectively across the EU to call out hate crimes and ensure we have the right measures, laws and policies in place at EU level.

I thank Deputies for their support today. We will be engaging on this issue again as we bring national legislation through the House. I am really pleased we have been able to agree this motion and that Ireland can certainly play its part in tackling all forms of racism, hate speech, hate crime, xenophobia, antisemitism and every type of discrimination against people.

See this speech in context