Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)

I wish to express my deep concern over the European Union's attempts to enforce hate speech legislation on Ireland, legislation that would undermine our national sovereignty, erode free expression and impose a one-size-fits-all model out of step with our Constitution. Before the general election, the Government suddenly recognised its lack of popularity among the general public and removed the hate speech aspect of its Bill. We now know the Government is sitting on both sides of the fence. When the Taoiseach was questioned about the potential of the EU imposing hate speech legislation, he did not offer any kind of support for it. He was clear that he would engage with the Commission but at no point did he say he would legislate on the matter. That was before the election. Now I have seen that Commissioner Michael McGrath has congratulated the Council of Europe and its partners on their continued efforts to address hate speech and on their strong support for the initiative. The LGBTQI+ national inclusion strategy for 2025 also mentions the need for hate speech legislation.

Every single person in our society deserves to be treated with decency and respect. There can be no tolerance for threatening language or behaviour. We already have legislation in place that offers legal protection against incitement to hatred, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act. It is already illegal in Ireland to send threatening or grossly offensive communications. We cannot legislate for loose ideas on what constitutes hate speech. As was evidenced in debates last year, there is no clear definition of it. In this regard, look at the mess in Britain at the moment. In recent months, people who have spoken about genocide in the occupied territories have been accused of antisemitism. The proposed legislation essentially equates to "I don't really like what you said". Will the Government offer some real leadership on this and represent the views of the majority of the Irish people? It is time to stop listening to the lobby groups.