United States Senator James David Vance has criticised Ireland’s proposed Hate Speech legislation, as international scrutiny around the law mounts.
In a social media post, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance wrote: “Ireland senator wants to criminalize speech that causes too much “discomfort” for people. If this were happening in Russia or China or many other nations we would call it totalitarian and threaten economic sanctions.”
Ireland senator wants to criminalize speech that causes too much “discomfort” for people. If this were happening in Russia or China or many other nations we would call it totalitarian and threaten economic sanctions. https://t.co/BgzB5aApXC
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) November 27, 2023
“Hilarious to me that this person apparently never considered that speaking honestly about the public affairs of a nation might serve the common good, even if it offends some,” the Republican Senator added.
Alongside the comments posted to X, he shared a widely circulated video of Senator Pauline O’Reilly telling the Irish Seanad that “we are restricting freedom, but we are doing it for the common good,” – comments she made in reference to the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022.
"We are restricting freedom for the common good": Irish Green Party Senator Pauline O'Reilly says that her government's hate speech bill is about "restricting freedom," and censoring views on gender identity if those views create "discomfort."#gript pic.twitter.com/H7QIT0QHmf
— gript (@griptmedia) June 15, 2023
In the wake of the Dublin knife attacks on three children and their creche worker, and the subsequent riots in the capital last Thursday night, an Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that enforcing the legislation – which was voted through in the Dáil in April, and is now at third stage before the Seanad – was a priority.
“We need it through within a matter of weeks,” Mr Varadkar told a press briefing in reference to the law, with his comments attracting international attention and sparking furore from civil rights advocates and international commentators.
Doubling down, on Sunday, Tanaiste Micheál Martin also promised that Hate Speech laws would be enacted before Christmas.
The tweet from J.D Vance was widely picked up, with many of Mr Vance’s followers objecting to the legislation.
“My big question is who is excluded from offending people and who isn’t,” one response read. Another person chimed in, “Anything can be blamed on incitement, that is one of the reasons speech is protected.”
“What in the world is going on in Ireland?” one user on X asked, as social media users said the legislation would amount to “an abuse of power.”
A number of users even called on Vance to threaten economic sanctions to be imposed on Ireland over the proposed law.
The international spotlighting of the law is ongoing, after X owner Elon Musk responded to the Taoiseach’s pledge to introduce the legislation in the wake of the unrest in Dublin by stating, “Ironically, the Irish PM hates the Irish people” in a tweet on Friday which resulted in division, and opened up a broader conversation around the law. What followed was a series of tweets about the legislation.
Ironically, the Irish PM hates the Irish people
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2023
Turning his attention back to Ireland, on Saturday, Mr Musk told his 164 million followers on his platform, “Suppression of the Irish people is the real crime.”
Suppression of the Irish people is the real crime
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2023
Musk went on to claim that “having a meme on your phone” could have serious repercussions under the legislation, as he quote-tweeted a video of police arresting someone:
“Language being proposed as law in Ireland means this could literally happen to you for having a meme on your phone,” he wrote on Monday.
Language being proposed as law in Ireland means this could literally happen to you for having a meme on your phone https://t.co/qz9sKyjw62
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2023
Criticism also came from other quarters, with retired tennis ace Martina Navratilova weighing in on the Bill, describing it as “crazy” in response to a tweet by Irish political commentator Robert Burke.
“And this is crazy. Sure-let’s make hate speech a crime without defining what is hate speech,” the Czech-American former tennis player wrote, along with the hashtag ‘#nuts’.
And this is crazy. Sure- let’s make hate speech a crime without defining what is hate speech. #nuts https://t.co/pDNswTfqTM
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) November 26, 2023
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has also taken the proposed legislation to task – dedicating an episode of ‘Tucker on X’ to discussing the Dublin riots and the Taoiseach’s response.
Carlson said that Ireland was being “completely transformed by immigration,” adding, “And going forward, anyone who complains about that or questions government policy will be guilty of a felony. The new Hate Speech laws are coming to Ireland. No complaining about it.”
Ep. 41 Dublin in flames. What’s happening in Ireland will happen here, at scale. Steve Bannon explains. pic.twitter.com/KzrRUJq0ZL
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 27, 2023
The controversy also caught the attention of Daily Wire editor, Ben Shapiro, who dedicated a 45-minute-episode of his show to explaining “Why Conor McGregor is now under investigation” – alluding to McGregor’s posts on X, where he has been outspoken over the government’s immigration policy, and declared, “We are at war.”
“We can tell a lot about a society from the kind of speech it seeks to ban,” Shapiro said. “In Ireland, that speech amounts to criticism of open immigration.”
Shapiro referenced Thursday’s Parnell Square attack in his report, and said that people saw the incident as “indicative of the government’s looseness about migrants entering the country.”
“From April 2022, to April 2023, Ireland saw a 16-year-high of 141,600 immigrants, including 40,000 Ukrainians,” he said. “Increasing economic insecurity, combined with that high level of immigration, put Ireland on the path to conflagration,” the commentator added.
Why Conor McGregor Is Now Under Investigation
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 27, 2023
The response to Thursday’s violent unrest has also been the subject of op-eds in high-profile publications across the water, including in The Daily Telegraph.
Historian, columnist, and lead writer for The Telegraph, Tim Stanley, was among those scathing of the government’s response to the riots, as he penned: “Ireland’s new elite deludes itself with platitudes about mass migration.”
“Leo Varadkar epitomises how the Irish establishment papers over the truth with trivialities and bromides,” Stanley wrote, in a piece drawing international attention to the legislation.
“Ireland’s experience of mass migration, despite its elites’ sense of moral superiority, has been very similar to Brexit Britain’s. The difference is we talk about it, and while having parties like Ukip might do little for our global reputation, it does act as a pressure valve for discontent,” he penned.
🗣 "Leo Varadkar epitomises how the Irish establishment papers over the truth with trivialities and bromides," writes Tim Stanley.
Read more here ⬇️https://t.co/iINz3GmY2q pic.twitter.com/hiC7jpyen6
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 27, 2023
“Ireland, by contrast, has chosen to double-down on the liberal narrative and Varadkar has even promised new laws to police hate speech, only driving debate into the darker recesses of the internet or, one fears, back on to the streets.”