Hate speech, including some politicians’ reactions to events in local communities, is “fuelling hatred and escalating tensions” in Ireland, a new report has found.
The hate speech in question is “widespread”. It spans across news media, online platforms and politics, according to a European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) report published on Tuesday.
“Most discriminatory content was motivated by anti-migrant, anti-Black/African, anti-refugee/asylum-seeker sentiments,” the report noted.
The ECRI, the Council of Europe’s antiracism body, assesses a number of metrics about racism and discrimination in countries across Europe. It has made 15 recommendations in relation to Ireland.
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The report noted that An Garda Síochána has been publishing hate crime data on an annual basis since 2022. However, it said “there is still a lack of disaggregated data and of systematic recording at all stages of investigation, prosecution, conviction and sentencing”.
The ECRI said new legislative measures punishing hate speech must be introduced “as a matter of priority”.
On December 31st, 2024, Ireland enacted the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024. The legislation imposes stricter penalties for offences motivated by hatred based on a victim’s race, gender or sexual orientation.
An earlier version of the Bill included provisions addressing hate speech, but these were removed in September 2024 over concerns about restricting freedom of expression.
The ECRI report said Irish authorities “should take steps towards the adoption by parliament of legislative measures aimed at specifying and clearly defining in criminal law, expressions of hate speech that are subject to criminal liability, in particular incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination”.
The body also said Ireland needs to improve the availability and quality of accommodation for people seeking or granted international protection.
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The report states that members of the Traveller and Roma communities “continue to face high levels of racism and discrimination across all areas of life, including education, employment, housing and health”.
The ECRI said harassment and hate speech against members of the LGBTQIA+ community is “still a reality in Ireland, with a notable deterioration in attitudes towards transgender and intersex communities and many LGBTI people feeling unsafe to express their sexual orientation or gender identity in public”.
The body said it is concerned about “the stark decline in the mental health of LGBTI+ people” and the fact that “so-called conversion practices and medically unnecessary and non-consensual surgeries performed on intersex children are still not prohibited in Ireland”.
The ECRI has called on Irish authorities to finalise the National LGBTQI+ Inclusion Strategy 2024-2028 and ensure its implementation is adequately funded.
The ECRI also made recommendations in relation to access to schools, saying authorities should “review existing legislation to ensure that the exemption for refusal of admission on the basis of religion does not adversely impact access to education”.
The body said Irish authorities should “provide greater clarity as to the definition of ‘ethos’ and what is required in order to establish that a refusal was essential to maintain the ethos of the school, ensuring it does not constitute discrimination on the ground of religion”.
The report highlighted a number of positive developments that took place in Ireland since 2019. These include the launch of a new National Action Plan Against Racism, the preparation of a draft national LGBTQI+ inclusion strategy and new mechanisms for dealing with hate crime.
The ECRI also welcomed the adoption of new measures concerning members of the Traveller and Roma communities, as well as efforts to support staff in fostering inclusiveness in schools.
The report assessed the situation in Ireland until mid-March 2025. The ECRI will assess the implementation of priority recommendations within two years.
