The Irish government will repeal parts of a controversial hate speech law that has been criticised by free speech advocates around the world, including X owner Elon Musk, who has vowed to fight the legislation in court.
According to RTÉ News, Ireland's Justice Minister Helen McEntee said elements of the hate speech bill that dealt with incitement to hatred and violence had been removed.
The bill would allow citizens to be jailed for merely possessing material that criticizes certain protected characteristics, from gender identity to nationality. Some critics have likened the bill to the concept of punishing people for “thought crimes” made famous by George Orwell's dystopian novel “1984.”
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Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings, speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on May 6, 2024. (Apu Gomez/Getty Images)
The move comes as Ireland faces a looming general election, with the current coalition government fast approaching the end of its five-year term, with a date for the election yet to be announced.
The Incitement to Violence, Hate Crimes and Hate Crimes Bill has already been passed by the Dáil, Ireland's lower house, but has stalled in the Senate.
McEntee said the bill's most controversial provisions would be removed and legislation aimed at fast-tracking tougher penalties for physical hate crimes under the bill would move forward.
“Incitement to hatred [of the bill] “There's no agreement in place so that will be dealt with at a later stage,” Mr McEntee told RTÉ News.
“This would send a very pure message that if you attack someone or commit a crime against a person or a group of people simply because of who they are, the color of their skin or where they come from, you're going to end up facing a stronger penalty, a harsher sentence,” McEntee said.
“I strongly believe that hate crimes legislation will be enacted,” she said.
According to RTÉ News, Ireland's Justice Minister Helen McEntee said elements of the hate speech bill relating to incitement to hatred and violence had been removed. (Ryan Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images)
The bill's measured repeal of sedition is seen as a partial victory for free speech advocates.
The hate speech bill has also been heavily criticised by government and some opposition lawmakers, with Ireland's main opposition party, Sinn Féin, voting in favour of the bill but later calling for it to be scrapped.
Many internet users say the bill is deliberately vague, suggesting that someone could be jailed for simply having certain memes stored on their phone, or being found in possession of books or videos deemed politically offensive.
Irish anti-hate laws pushed in the wake of the Dublin riots could criminalize memes, raising concerns about free speech
Musk has helped bring global attention to the bill and has pledged to cover the legal costs of any Irish citizen who wants to challenge the bill.
He said the company has a position in Ireland because X's European headquarters is in the Irish capital, Dublin. Musk's investor group bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and took it private.
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“People should be able to express their views within the bounds of the law, without that there can be no real democracy,” Musk told Irish outlet Gript. “If there are attempts to suppress the voice of Irish people I will do everything in my power to protect the Irish people and their right to express their views.”
Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor supported Musk's efforts.
“We the Irish people will never tolerate any draconian and corrupt legislation being passed into law here. We will not tolerate any attempt to take away our freedom to speak our minds and to take part in fair and honest debate,” Mr McGregor said.
“This is a stupid and weak attempt to silence dissent and we say NO! If this goes ahead we will fight to the end. We will fight and we will win. Thank you Elon. In Ireland we say fair play!”
Senator Pauline O'Reilly, from the coalition government's Green Party, sparked outrage when she said the hate speech bill would restrict freedoms “in the public interest”. A video of her speech went viral.
“Throughout the Constitution you will find that yes, you have rights, but they are limited in the public interest. If your views about other people's identities make their lives unsafe and unstable, cause them such deep discomfort that they cannot live in peace, then I believe it is our job as lawmakers to limit those freedoms in the public interest.”
The Irish government said it was emboldened to move forward with the hate speech law following riots in Dublin in November, which began when an Algerian-born man was arrested and charged with stabbing a woman and three children outside a Dublin primary school. The stabbing came amid concerns about immigration-related crime in the country.
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On Thursday 23 November 2023, violence erupted in Dublin city centre following a knife attack and a bus set on fire in O'Connell Street. (Brian Lawless/PA via The Associated Press)
“It is the government's responsibility to protect free speech, not suppress it,” said Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International and author of “Censorship.”
“In any democracy there must be room for dissent. The draconian proposals to ban 'hate speech', which the Irish government refuses to define, would have serious implications for the fundamental human right of freedom of expression in the public sphere,” Coleman said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Where 'hate speech' laws have been introduced, they have clearly resulted in a harsh crackdown on peaceful expression.”
Coleman made his point by citing, for example, the example of Finland, where member of parliament and grandmother Paivi Räsanen faced a four-year legal battle and three criminal charges after expressing her faith-based beliefs about human sexuality and posting Bible verses on X that supported her views.
Fox News' Brianna Herlihy, Danielle Wallace and Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
