February 2023
The Coalition against Hate Crime has campaigned for the review of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 and the introduction of hate crime legislation for several years. We regard the absence of such legislation as a significant gap in Irish law.
We therefore strongly welcome this Bill, calling for its introduction without any further delays, and look forward to continued engagement on the issues of extreme hate speech and hate crime.
The Coalition has submitted suggested amendments to members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice ahead of the Committee’s examination of the Bill to ensure the legislation is in line with human rights standards, reflects the experiences and needs of impacted communities, and provides clear definitions and thresholds.