Natasha O’Brien took to the stage at this weekend’s Dublin Pride festival to call for immediate hate crime legislation after suffering an assault at the hands of a serving Irish soldier in 2022. 

The 24-year-old’s name was relatively unknown to most of the country until two weeks ago, when her assailant, Cathal Crotty, a member of the Irish Defence Forces, was given a three-year suspended sentence despite pleading guilty to the attack that occurred in Limerick City. 

According to O’Brien, Crotty had been shouting homophobic slurs at other people the night of the assault. O’Brien attempted to intervene, but was punched by Crotty until she was unconscious. Crotty later boasted about the interaction on his Snapchat account, writing: “Two to put her down, two to put her out”. 

The 22-year-old soldier pleaded guilty to the assault before Limerick District Court Judge Tom O’Donnell, who called the crime “utterly appalling”. However, Judge O’Donnell handed down a three-year suspended sentence for Crotty, claiming that a custodial sentence would ruin the soldier’s army career. 

The country has been in uproar since the verdict was handed down, with many protesting the judge’s decision against a custodial sentence. Dublin Pride similarly removed the Defence Forces’ invitation to participate in the parade, which was held on Saturday, June 29. 

Dublin Pride also invited Natasha O’Brien, who identifies as lesbian, to speak at this year’s celebration, where she called for “hate crime laws now”. 

The speech, delivered from the stage of Dublin’s Merrion Square Park on Saturday, included a scathing critique of the country’s current progress towards hate crime legislation as politicians continue to battle back and forth over the legislation’s wording. 

“Do I look like someone who is going to put up with hate crime and violence and injustice?” O’Brien asked the gathered crowd. “Alone I am just one voice asking for change, but together we are an entire army screaming for what we all deserve as human beings.

“Your constant support and your constant outrage is what continues to fuel me to fight for what’s right,” O’Brien added. 

Check out the full video of Natasha O’Brien’s speech below:

Presently, hate crime legislation in Ireland is stalled, despite the fact that Taoiseach Simon Harris has pledged to pass an amended version of the legislation before next March’s general elections.