New figures show the need for Hate Crime legislation

Dublin Fingal TD and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Alan Farrell, has said that recent hate crime statistics published by An Garda Síochána, reinforce the need for the introduction of the Hate Crime legislation.

Deputy Farrell said, “2021 was the first full year of reporting since the introduction of new and important definitions and recording practices around hate crime. These changes are important to building a comprehensive picture of these serious offences in Ireland.

“The report shows that in 2021, 448 hate crimes were reported to Gardaí in Ireland. Over half of these incidents took place in the Dublin metropolitan area. 212 of these incidents were motivated by race, making up the largest cohort of the 448 incidents. The second largest motivation was related to sexual orientation, accounting for 73 incidents.”

Deputy Farrell continued, “The reality is that the number of hate crimes is likely under-reported, and we must work to strengthen the community bonds at all levels, while ensuring victims have faith in the systems and procedures employed.

“The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, will shortly introduce a new Bill to update existing laws on incitement to hatred and introduce hate crime laws for the very first time in the State. The Bill will also strengthen laws relating to hate speech, including online hateful content. These are vital changes in legislation which the Minister has been committed to delivering since taking office. I look forward to seeing the proposals in the near future and I hope to see this legislation enacted by the end of the year.”

Deputy Farrell added, “There is no room for any form of hate crime in Ireland and people must know that their complaints will be fully investigated and treated with sensitivity. If we, as a nation, tolerate hate, we cannot consider ourselves a truly modern, civilised, country. This is the challenge for everyone in society and the upcoming legislation will certainly help to overcome it.”