The Minister for Justice has confirmed she is not moving ahead with plans to introduce new hate speech laws, but she will press ahead with the hate crime element of criminal justice legislation.
Speaking in Athlone, Helen McEntee confirmed that she will introduce committee stage amendments to the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 in the Seanad.
"The incitement to hatred element [of the bill] does not have a consensus, so that will be dealt with at a later stage," Ms McEntee said.
Ms McEntee said she brought her proposed changes to this bill to the leaders of the three coalition parties over the summer.
"I am adamant that hate crime legislation will be enacted," she said.
"This will send a very pure message, if you attack a person, if you commit a crime against a person or a group of people, simply because of who they are, the color of their skin, where they have come from that there will be a tougher sentence, a harsher sentence at the end of the day," Ms McEntee said.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe said the Government had accepted that with regard to some parts of the Bill it had "not been able to generate the consensus and agreement that is needed is such an important piece of legislation."
Existing hate speech legislation dates back to 1989, but Mr Donohoe said the Government initiatives in other areas also address the issue of hate speech.
"The Government... has always made very clear our views regarding the distress that some particular forms of language can cause," Mr Donohoe said, also speaking in Athlone.
"What we are doing is through other forms of legislation, for example our efforts to look at what is happening in social media, our efforts to regulate that better, are a clear sign of our effort to deal with the effect that language and incitement can have on behaviour and threats within our society," Mr Donohoe said.
