Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Following on from the Senator's remarks about social media, yesterday I put up a post that got hundreds of responses from people in the country around the Minister, Deputy McEntee, announcing that she will not be supporting hate crime legislation. That is absolutely devastating news for people in my community. the Traveller community, people with disabilities and people of colour, etc. We have seen the rise of the far right in this country. Even the Garda does not have proper legislation to be able to deal with it. Hate crime legislation would deal with that. I call on the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Taoiseach to reverse the decision to not have hate crime legislation that will protect the most vulnerable people within society. It absolutely makes Fine Gael looks so weak. All along, its Members supported the hate crime legislation. I listened to the Taoiseach say numerous times on radio shows that there would be hate crime legislation to protect the most vulnerable people. Then they just do a big U-turn. Again, this affects people on the margins of society who have more chance of being attacked walking down the street.

Today, we did work with Women for Election. How can we support women from minority groups standing for election if we are not going to support hate crime legislation that protects all of us? It is absolutely appalling. I call on the Leader to write to the Minister for Justice so we can debate this and it is not only her decision. I am the only person from an ethnic minority group in these Houses and I do not feel heard. People who are black do not feel heard.