Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I will shortly talk about EU expansionism but I feel I need to address some of the comments Deputy Lawless has made about hate speech legislation. I am very much an advocate for free speech. Quite apart from the fact that it is a right under the European Convention, it is a constitutional right in this jurisdiction which must be respected and maintained. However, having a law that says that people cannot use their power and their right to speak freely to incite hatred against certain groups is not a restriction of free speech that is unwarranted. Listening to Deputy Lawless, one would think that-----

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