June 2023
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has long called for hate crime legislation in Ireland, along with the Coalition Against Hate Crime, which we currently chair.
Previous research by ICCL has shown that in the absence of legislation, the element of hate – which makes a crime a hate crime – is not addressed in a consistent way and often disappears as a case goes through the criminal process. Legislation will also recognise the widely and internationally recognised additional harm caused by such crimes. We are also in support of addressing only the most extreme forms of hate speech by means of criminal law, in line with international human rights standards
ICCL has engaged with the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 throughout its legislative scrutiny. Together with the other members of the Coalition Against Hate Crime, we have compiled an extensive list of suggested amendments for Dáil Committee stage. Unfortunately, both our analysis of the Bill and the Coalition submission on suggested amendments are overwhelmingly still relevant as a minimal number of changes have been made so far. We note this with disappointment.