Ireland’s embarrassing hate speech fiasco

To the surprise of nobody and the disappointment of only a few, the Irish government has finally accepted reality and dropped its hugely controversial plans to introduce stringent hate speech legislation.

Under its original proposal, the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hate and Hatred Offences) Bill 2022 was so broad that it made Scotland’s much derided hate crime Act look like a manifesto for free speech by comparison.

The proposed law, first introduced by Justice Minister Helen McEntee in November 2022, was always a divisive piece of legislation. It was condemned by many because it looked as if it been drafted by a committee of rabid social justice warriors rather than serious legislators.

Describing the 1988 Incitement to Hatred Act as ‘outmoded and no longer fit for purpose’, the new law would stretch the definition of ‘protected characteristics’ to include (deep breath): ‘race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, descent, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, disability and gender’, which included a person’s preferred gender and gender other than male or female.