Aontú has welcomed the Government’s decision to row back on the controversial Hate Crime Bill. 

Peadar Tóibín said there is no demand for the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 in its original form. 

Had it been passed, the bill would have introduced a ban on “incitement to violence or hatred against a person or a group of persons on account of certain characteristics”. 

It would have also introduced an offence of “condoning, denying or grossly trivialising genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace”. 

Instead, the Hate Crime Bill will give higher prison sentences if a crime is motivated by hatred.

Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín said there was no support for the Government's original plan to tackle hate speech:

“The Government, I think, was looking to have an authoritarian bill which tried to push back against that free discourse of views,” he said. 

“The Government has realised that there’s no appetite for this on the ground at all and that they need to start focusing on the bread and butter issues. 

“The issues such as the Garda Síochána being in a crisis situation, whereby there are fewer Gardaí today than there were when the Minister for Justice took up her job.” 

Garda graduates during the Passing Out ceremony at Garda College, Templemore, Co. Tipperary. Image: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Deputy Tóibín said the original bill was far too vague for him to support. 

“It’s quite incredible that the word ‘hate’ wasn’t properly defined within the bill,” he said. 

“It’s a very, very serious thing to make it a criminal offence and then put a person in jail. 

“The least the Government should have done is be able to properly defined by what they meant by ‘hate’.”

The legislation originally enjoyed cross-party support but in March Sinn Féin denounced the bill as “disproportionate” and "not fit for purpose".

Then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the party’s U-turn had been motivated by “cowardice”. 

Main image: Peadar Toibin arriving at the Mansion House in Dublin. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Reporting by Clíona O'Dwyer and James Wilson.