Ex-Deputy PM vows to crack down on Ireland's new hate speech laws

Senator Michael McDowell plans to propose amendments to the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Crimes) Act 2022. Photo: Gerard Serles/Getty

The former Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland has pledged to fight the country's new hate speech laws, arguing that the law does not provide «clarity» on broader definitions of gender identity.

Senator Michael McDowell, who was tánaiste under Bertie Ahern, plans to propose amendments to the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hate and Hate Crime) Act of 2022, which has become a lightning rod in the transatlantic culture war.

Critics The bill warns that people campaigning against transgender women using women's locker rooms could be sent to prison as soon as the new law goes into effect.

“I haven't formulated my amendments yet,” Mr. McDowell said. “But they will include a definition of what hate is, setting a high threshold for the term.

“They will deal with provisions in the bill that give all private individuals the right to arrest people when they have reasonable grounds. that they incite hatred.»

Supporters of a bill introduced in 2022 by Attorney General Helen McEntee (pictured) say it is a belated revamp of Irish law Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA exercising their right to freedom of speech. They will provide real protection for free speech for speech made in good faith.

“They will protect journalism, reporting and the media from criminal prosecution.”

The Irish government has previously insisted that the bar for prosecution will be very high, and if charges are brought, the bill will have a deterrent effect. freedom of speech.

Last week, the Irish Senate debated a controversial bill. It is expected to become law later this year, but any amendments made by the Senate could be rejected by Parliament.

The bill aims to expand the scope of protections against hate speech to include individuals with a “gender identity”, including transgender or “gender other than male or female.”

For the first time in Irish history

But Mr McDowell, 72, a former Attorney General, warned that the new bill would be the first in Irish history to recognize a gender other than male or female.

“The term ‘preferred gender’ is already used in the Recognition Act half of 2015,” he wrote this week in the Irish Times.

“But now the term must also include the gender that the person identifies with, and additionally include the vague term 'transgender' and the vague category 'gender other than male or female'.

“No clarity has been made on these new and expanded meanings of gender,” said Mr McDowell.

“It appears that the oireachtas [Irish Parliament and Senate] are asking as part of transgender policy for the first time to completely separate gender from gender as a concept.”

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Mr McDowell added: “This has profound political, social and educational implications. We need to know where we are going and where we are being led.”

Supporters of a bill introduced in 2022 by Attorney General Helen McEntee say it is a belated overhaul of Irish law.< /p>

G- Ms. McEntee blamed «deliberate misinformation and misrepresentation, including by fringe commentators and social media figures in the US» for the controversy surrounding the bill.

Donald Trump Jr. and Twitter mogul Elon Musk both opposed the legislation.