The Irish government has backed down from plans to include "hate speech" in legislation that risked imprisoning Christians and others for possessing varied and undefined materials deemed offensive.
The Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offenses Bill 2022, under discussion in the Ireland's Senate for the past two years, will proceed but with the "hate speech" elements removed. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee reportedly decided against implementing those parts of the bill, although she still intends to strengthen existing incitement to hatred legislation.
"The incitement to hatred element does not have a consensus, so that will be dealt with at a later stage," McEntee reportedly said.
Opposition to the bill came from Christians, lawmakers, free speech campaigners and U.S. business tycoon Elon Musk. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International celebrated the move but warned that incitement to hatred remained illegal in Ireland under existing laws.
"Pro-censorship actors may seek to bring in a separate new law in the future," read an ADF International press statement. "With the world watching, the people of Ireland said 'No' to state censorship, and it's working."
Saying such laws risk state censorship and oppression, the legal rights group called the hate speech elements "one of the most far-reaching clampdowns on free speech by a modern democracy."
Concern had been previously expressed about the new law criminalizing the possession of material "likely" to stir hatred, such as memes and photos saved on cell phones, with a proposed five-year jail term for offenders. ADF International criticized the lack of a clear definition about what "hate" means.
"Instead of protecting free speech and public safety, this law...[was] poised to set a draconian precedent of intolerance against those who express beliefs outside the state-approved orthodoxy," ADF International stated. "Unpopular speech needs the most protection, and in a free society, free speech is required. Individuals should be able to express their beliefs without fear or oppression. The Irish government has chosen to uphold freedom of speech."
In June, Christian Daily International reported on a national poll showing a quarter of Irish people surveyed were concerned about freedom of speech as the country considered hate speech legislation. The survey of 1,027 adults took place in March by Whitestone Insight.
Nick Park, Executive Director of the Evangelical Alliance Ireland, did not see a risk of hate crime by 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 then 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, he said.
"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," Park said. "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."
