Cabinet approves plans to drop contentious hate speech laws

Justice Minister Helen McEntee confirmed last week tha incitement to hatred and violence elements are being dropped

Helen McEntee said overall hate crime legislation would be passed. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA 

The Cabinet has formally approved plans to drop contentious hate speech laws, but hate crime elements of draft legislation will remain.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee confirmed last week that incitement to hatred and violence elements are being dropped, but that the overall hate crime legislation would be passed.

The plan to drop the proposals came due to concerns around a lack of clarity on the draft laws, particularly over the definition of hate and how the laws could impact freedom of speech.

The legislation, the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences), is currently before the Seanad and will be amended to reflect the Cabinet decision.

There is no date currently as to when the law will be back on the Seanad agenda.

While Ms McEntee is withdrawing the laws, she said that she believed there is a need for strengthening Ireland’s existing incitement to hatred laws.

It will be illegal to import, breed, or resell an XL Bully dog from next Tuesday, October 1. Picture: file

Also noted by the Cabinet on Thursday was Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys signing the regulations to ban the ownership of XL Bully dogs.

The signing of the new regulations will make it illegal to import, breed, or resell an XL Bully dog from next Tuesday, October 1.

Ownership of the dogs will be banned from February 1, 2025.

However, owners of XL Bully dogs will be able to apply for a certificate of exemption from local authorities to permit them to keep their dog until it passes away.

Cabinet also approved a three-month extension to the commission of inquiry into the ‘Grace’ case, which relates to an intellectually-disabled young woman left in a foster home in the Southeast for 20 years, despite concerns raised over physical and sexual abuse.