A national poll reveals a quarter of Irish people surveyed are concerned about freedom of speech as the country considers hate speech legislation. But a leading evangelical says there is no issue for Christians as long as they live in accordance to biblical values.
The survey of 1,027 adults in March by Whitestone Insight is published as the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 progresses through political hoops at the Dáil Éireann (parliament).
In its press release featuring the survey results, rights group Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International) said the hate speech bill makes possessing or distributing material that could lead to hatred an offense punishable with a jail term of up to five years in prison.
The proposed law also makes refusing to give a password to an electronic device a crime – allowing police to search and find ‘hateful’ materials.
However, Nick Park, Executive Director of the Evangelical Alliance Ireland, did not see a risk of hate crime for evangelical Christians if they live by the ethical tenets of their faith.
“The Evangelical Alliance Ireland believes in the importance of free speech, and in the importance of Christians using that freedom in a responsible way to be good representatives of Jesus Christ,” Park told Christian Daily International. “There is an urgent need for Christians to learn how to speak uncompromised biblical truth in ways that are both truthful and gracious.
“The proposed hate speech legislation for Ireland contains a number of provisions and exceptions so that reasonable theological or academic discussion should not be criminalized.
“My own opinion is that, given the wording of the legislation, it is difficult to see how Christians would fall foul of the law if they behave and speak as Christians should.”
ADF International published results from the poll in time for the 2024 Free Speech Summit in Dublin yesterday (June 18). 90 percent of respondents in the survey agreed that free speech was “very important” to them.
“The proposed ‘hate speech’ legislation would be one of the worst examples of censorship in the modern West,” said Lorcan Price, Irish Barrister and Legal Counsel for ADF International, and speaker about the implications of the bill at the Ireland Free Speech Summit. “The bill purports to stamp out ‘hate speech,’ but fails to define what ‘hate’ is – allowing authorities to censor any speech the state opposes.
“That’s why voices from around the world are arriving in Dublin this week to speak up for the right to debate and discuss ideas – here, and everywhere.”
The summit, organized by Free Speech Ireland and supported by ADF International, aimed to bring together free speech activists to discuss the issue of hate speech in Ireland and other countries.
Screenwriter Graham Linehan, creator of the ‘Father Ted’ TV comedy series, expressed a deep concern that free speech was under threat in Ireland.
“The Summit is the very epitome of why we need free speech. We’re all coming together with different viewpoints, beliefs, and perspectives – but we agree on one thing. We should be allowed to freely discuss and debate ideas in Ireland. Our free speech must not be curtailed by a censorial government. It’s essential that the parliament consider the draconian impact that the hate speech bill could have on Irish society – and keep the public square open for all,” said Linehan.
In a Dáil Éireann debate on April 23, Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Justice, sought to soothe any fears about the impending legislation, saying the intention would be to “protect those who are most vulnerable” and who are “attacked simply because of who they are, where they came from or because of some other part of their identity that is, quite frankly, nobody else's business.”
“I am determined to enact strong, effective and proportionate legislation to do this,” added McEntee. “Some people have raised concerns about certain provisions in the Bill and I have indicated that I am willing to look at addressing, as appropriate, those concerns. To this end, I am considering a number of amendments which I intend to bring forward on Committee Stage in the Seanad [Ireland’s Senate] in due course.”
McEntee added that the proposed law would “bring us into line with our European counterparts. We are one of the last countries in the European Union without hate crime legislation.”
The hate crime bill is currently in the third stage of the legislation process. It is being examined section by section and amendments may be made to its contents.
