Life Opinion
The Irish government is doubling down on their attempt to push through a ‘hate speech law’ geared at social media users and meme makers. Since this summer, the law has been up for discussion, with Irish legislators claiming that restricting freedom is normal and necessary for the “common good.”
These efforts have intensified since the recent stabbing of multiple children by a man alleged to be an immigrant, which caused rioting and nationalist sentiment among some Irish
Our Western friends across the pond’s embrace of targeting their own citizens’ ability to criticize their governments should serve as a warning for all freedom-loving Americans.
The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 would criminalize “incitement or hatred against” people who have been deemed to have “protected characteristics.” The protected characteristic proposed by this legislation includes national or ethnic origins.
This line opens up the possibility of a citizen who questions the validity of reporting on the war in Ukraine and Israel, or anywhere for that matter, as breaking this hate speech law. Even further, this line makes something as innocuous as lamenting the deaths of innocents in these wars, which there always are, as possibly trivializing the original war crimes that kicked off said conflict as against the law.
Who’s common good is the Irish Senator trying to protect?
The fever pitch to strangle free speech comes after riots in Dublin
Let’s focus a bit on the Prime Minister’s wording: “…we need to be able to use laws to go after them individually as well.” The “them” he is referring to is his Irish countrymen. The ones who express their opinions.
The fact that this Irish Senator and the Prime Minister believe their job is to restrict freedoms versus protecting freedoms is alarming in and of itself. However, what defines discomfort is dangerously vague and leads to even more disturbing possibilities.
