'Hate Speech' Laws and Ireland's Warning to the West
Welcome to the dystopian era of “Hate Speech” pre-crime.
In a recent speech, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed his commitment to "modernize laws addressing hatred" following the arrest of several dozen individuals involved in the Dublin riots, which ensued after an Algerian-born man stabbed five people, including three children, outside the Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire primary school in Dublin.
"I think it's now very obvious to anyone who might have doubted us that our incitement to hatred legislation is just not up to date. It's not up to date for the social media age. And we need that legislation through within a matter of weeks."
Per the recent legislation currently under consideration, anyone simply possessing material LIKELY to incite violence against persons on account of their protected characteristics could be found guilty under their new “Incitement to Hatred” laws.
And what is currently considered a “protected characteristic”?
(a) race,
(b) color,
(c) nationality,
(d) religion,
(e) national or ethnic origin,
(f) descent,
(g) gender,
(h) sex characteristics,
(i) sexual orientation, or
(j) disability
Conveniently, any leftist-aligned characteristic that falls under the protection of progressivism could not only be shielded from legitimate criticism but any organized political action emanating from the right. And make no mistake, this legislation directly targets Ireland’s “far-right,” which, given today’s political climate, is anyone who doesn’t buy into every aspect of wokeism.
Welcome to the dystopian era of “Hate Speech” pre-crime, when even the potential for incitement of violence can get you in legal trouble.
This is the kind of legislation that makes leftists everywhere salivate. If these types of “hate speech” laws were to be adopted across the West, could someone levy criticism of affirmative action programs that favor one race over another? Could patriotic citizens criticize the immigration policies of their home country if they object to a large influx of migrants from a specific national or ethnic origin? What about expressing outrage over a school curriculum that pushes radical gender ideology?
We already see those on the left in America call all of the above “hate speech,” whose definition is constantly expanding to stifle any and all dissent in the private sphere. Ireland’s new legislation would codify this sentiment into law, with other European countries sure to follow.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ireland hosts the European headquarters of most social media companies, including X, TikTok, and Facebook. How would this law play into the Terms of Service for social media companies that would need to comply with law enforcement in targeting any Irish social media accounts that run afoul of these new “hate speech” laws?