In a recent debate in the Seanad, Independent Senator Eileen Flynn, a member of the Traveller community, has called on the Irish government to take action to introduce hate crime and hate speech legislation, warning of the “dangerous and disturbing rise in intolerance, intimidation, and violence against minority communities”.

Earlier in September, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee confirmed that her Department was shelving plans to introduce new hate speech provisions in Irish law after they garnered criticism from several parties. Instead, the government is proceeding with the hate crime proposals only, with plans to bring the legislation to the Dáil this autumn.

Standing in for McEntee during the Seanad debate and reading her statement, Minister of State Anne Rabbitt explained that the hate speech proposals will be removed from the Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences Bill 2022 during the Committee Stages. As reported by the Irish Examiner, she cited a “lack of consensus” in the Oireachtas about certain definitions in the Bill, including what constitutes hate speech.

Responding to the Irish government’s decision, Independent senator Eileen Flynn said that minorities in the country “can’t wait” for the hate crime and hate speech law to be introduced, highlighting how people are witnessing “every single day the rise of the far right” in Ireland.

The Senator urged Minister McEntee to go ahead with the initial promises to update Ireland’s hate speech legislation through the provisions originally included in the Bill. Flynn said that “now is the time to put robust hate crime legislation in place”, citing the Coalition Against Hate Crime, a group of 23 civil society organisations, that said the laws were “long overdue”.

She also stated that the Minister should stop seeking consensus among “white, upper-class politicians” and instead consult with minority groups, who are the ones in urgent need for hate speech laws.

“We can’t wait,” the Senator reiterated. “We see in the streets every single day over the last year-and-a-half the rise of the far right. We are seeing a dangerous and disturbing rise in intolerance, intimidation, and violence against minority communities.”

According to figures published by An Garda Síochána, the number of hate-based crimes and hate-related incidents reported last year increased by 12% in comparison to 2022. As evidenced by a recent report, despite the significant increase in hate crimes and hate speech incidents targeting minority groups in Ireland, the number of prosecutions remains low.