Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are “under threat” from “far-right” elements, according to Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik.
Addressing her “comrades” on Sunday on the 108th anniversary of the death of James Connolly, Bacik said that “the rise of the far-right at home and in Europe poses a threat to everything we hold dear.”
“Those politics are a poison for democracy,” she said.
“Hard won rights are under threat from these sinister elements: workers’ rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, migrant rights, freedom of expression – everything.
“Where the far-right is in government today, they cut down the right to strike, treat women as objects, or chattel, use the police to suppress, not protect, restrict the press, tell people who the can love, or how they can identify, and boast policies which see migrants drown at sea.”
She added: “Enemies of progress, they cannot get a foothold again.”
Notably, the Labour Party has vocally called for “social media companies to tackle the use of their
platforms for disseminating misinformation and hate speech,” and has enthusiastically supported the government’s controversial hate speech legislation.
During the same speech, the Dublin Bay South TD said that “this year, it is more important than ever to expose those who pretend to love this country,” later adding: “…Because we know who the real enemy is.”
“Comrades, in less than a month, we will have the opportunity to continue to mould the European project in our image,” she said.
“A strong Union, that protects peace, and promotes progress. A European project that stands up for ordinary people – all of us. That stands against those who seek to divide us.”
She further said that the party would “recommit” itself to the “principles of James Connolly,” describing him as an “unashamed ideologue”.
“Connolly was a republican, in the true sense of the word,” she said.
“He knew that it was more than flag waving; that it wasn’t nativism. Because to love your country is to believe that it can be better – for everyone.”