Critics including Elon Musk slam Ireland for ‘massive attack on freedom of speech’ over plans to make it an offence to ‘prepare or possess’ material on a computer that could incite hatred against someone’s gender or religion
- The Criminal Justice Bill will make it illegal to ‘possess’ likely hate crime material
- But critics claimed it could lead to the creation of censorship and ‘thought crime’
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Controverisal new laws targeting hate speech in Ireland have raised fears people could be jailed simply for thinking something deemed offensive.
The Criminal Justice Bill will make it an offence to ‘prepare or possess’ material on their computer that could incite hatred against someone’s gender or religion.
Critics fear it could lead to the creation of ‘thought crime’, censoring politically incorrect views including legitimate discussion over trans rights and the more socially-conservative teachings of the Catholic Church.
Twitter boss Elon Musk has even waded into the debate, branding the Bill ‘a massive attack on freedom of speech’.
Yet, despite widespread opposition from campaigners and politicians, a series of amendments aimed at watering down the legislation were last week defeated in the Irish parliament.
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The Criminal Justice Bill will make it an offence to ‘prepare or possess’ material on their computer that could incite hatred against someone’s gender or religion. Pictured: Ireland’s parliament building Leinster House
Ministers have stressed that ‘genuine freedom of expression’ will not be caught within the Bill and any communication deemed worthy of prosecution would ‘not be an area that anybody will stray into by accident’.
The Bill will replace legislation which has led to only a few dozen convictions since it was enacted 34 years ago. It will crack down on hate speech by lowering the threshold for prosecution.
The Bill will punish any ‘intentional or reckless’ communication that would incite violence or hatred against a protected characteristic – which includes gender and religion – with up to five years in jail.
The previous legislation did not include gender and sex as protected characteristics.
But Peadar Toibin, leader of the socially conservative political party Aontu, said: ‘The censorship culture… is on steroids. People fear that is encroaching into the realm of honest, respectful debate on real issues.’
