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

We have very different views on this.

It is important to remember that a hate crime is a criminal offence, whether it is harassment, assault, vandalism or any other crime. It is a crime aggravated by hatred. An attacker's perception of somebody's gender identity becomes a reason to victimise them. Where a person is targeted based on their gender, where they are harassed or attacked or where their property is vandalised or stolen, a hate crime has been committed. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure the perpetrators of hate crime offences are punished appropriately. For the reasons outlined, I cannot accept any of these amendments.