A suggestion the Government should 'focus on tackling crime and stop playing to the woke gallery' is setting up victims against each other.
That's according to National LGBT Federation Board Director Adam Long, who was responding to comments from Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea.
Writing in the Sunday Independent, the Limerick TD said people in his constituency are more concerned about the “growing problem of street crime and wanton anti-social behaviour” than some of the other issues the Department of Justice is focusing on.
Mr Long told The Hard Shoulder this approach is downplaying the problem of hate crimes.
"It's not an either/or situation - Government is more than capable with dealing with more than one issue at a time," he said.
"To glibly refer to an issue as serious as hate crime, and we know it's on the rise... I think it does a disservice to the issue, quite frankly.
"I would agree with one of your presenters this morning: when you introduce a term like 'woke' or 'woke gallery', it belittles the debate.
"I think to set up victims against each other is disingenuous at best".
'Part of the impetus'
Mr Long said Ireland is an outlier when it comes to hate crime laws.
"We're one of the last [countries] in the western world to introduce hate crime legislation," he said.
"In fact, we're also required to do so because [of] the European Victims' Rights Directive, there's a requirement in all member states to adequately deal with hate crime.
"So that's part of the impetus as well".
Picture by: Ronin / Alamy Stock PhotoMr Long said there is nothing radical in the new legislation.
"When we don't have hate crime legislation, there's a lack of protection for victims and we know that," he said.
"The other part of it is to do with the incitement to hatred - hate speech as it's called.
"We're not doing anything radical in that respect, I think, there's been a lot of misinformation unfortunately that's been attached to that element of the bill.
"What we're seeking to do there... is that we have a law that's effective.
"We already have hate speech legislation, it dates [back] to 1989, but as criminal justice practitioners will tell you, as victims will tell you it's wholly ineffective.
"Most importantly, it doesn't take account of the online space," he added.
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