Free Speech Ireland has launched a new campaign entitled “Bin the Bill”, to raise awareness about the Irish government’s plans to introduce what it calls “onerous anti-free speech legislation.” in the form of The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022
The grassroots organization which was formed in 2018 says that across Ireland their message will be displayed on billboards and social media platforms in efforts to inform the Irish public of the “threat that hate speech legislation poses to their right to free expression.”
The campaign was launched with the release of a video ad which X owner Elon Musk shared commenting, “Destroying freedom of speech means destroying democracy”
Destroying freedom of speech means destroying democracy https://t.co/ElgTOHMzaj
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2024
The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 (“the Bill”) is at the third stage of the Irish Senate and would give the state the right to seize personal electronic devices and prescribe prison sentences for those guilty of hate speech or deemed to be in possession of hateful material, even if they had no intent on distributing it.
FSI says this could “ undermine the presumption of innocence” before the courts.
Free Speech Ireland says it believes the Bill “undermines freedom of speech in Ireland, allowing for individuals to be prosecuted for perceived hate speech on politically-motivated grounds” adding that the “perception of hatred by a third party could also suffice for prosecution.”
Demanding that the bill be scrapped since 2022, Free Speech Ireland says it would welcome the implementation of “greater guarantees for freedom of speech in Ireland” with a special emphasis on Ireland’s role as European Headquarters for many social media platforms such as Twitter/X.
“Laws that restrict freedom of speech in Ireland could impact online users globally.” it says