Sarah Hardiman Discusses Dangers of Ireland’s New Hate Speech Law

The video discusses the potential dangers of Ireland’s new hate speech law, which goes beyond incitement to violence and extends to offense and perception of mistreatment, criminalizing possession or preparation of material that could incite hatred on protected characteristics with the intention of communicating it to the public.

The speaker – Sarah Hardiman of Free Speech Ireland – fears that the law’s broad language and potential for abuse could restrict discussions on topics like sex characteristics and transgender people in bathrooms and have a chilling effect on free speech. The previous video featuring Sarah Hardiman discussing the same controversial law is HERE.

00:00:00

In this section, the speaker discusses the new hate speech law in Ireland and its potential impact on free speech. They note that while there are restrictions on free speech in Ireland and in the European Charter of Human Rights, the new legislation is going beyond incitement to violence and extending to offense and perception of mistreatment, such as spreading memes or sharing content such as Pepe the Frog. While protection from incitement to violence is important, the speaker argues that this new law is going too far and could potentially restrict free speech and expression.

00:05:00

In this section, the transcript discusses the Irish hate speech law and the potential danger to free speech. While the Irish Times article mentions the processing of material that could be considered hateful, other articles such as the Yahoo article only mention incitement of violence and the need to update old legislation. However, section 10 part 1A of the law criminalizes the preparation or possession of material that may incite hatred against a person or group on account of protected characteristics with the intention of communicating it to the public. This could include comments made about sex characteristics and transgender people in bathrooms, which is a legitimate concern that should still be allowed to be discussed without fear of prosecution. The law’s broad language and potential for abuse by well-funded interest groups is alarming and could have a chilling effect on speech.

00:10:00

In this section of the video, the speaker voices concerns about Ireland’s new hate speech law. Specifically, they discuss the potential for predators to use the law to access spaces like women’s bathrooms that have an unwritten rule for keeping children safe. They argue that these are important conversations that society should be able to have and defend, but with the new law’s potential restrictions on free speech, they fear that such discussions may be silenced.

YouTube Video