Lack of action on hate speech contributing to racist violence

The far-right have been emboldened by lack of action to curtail them. It's beyond time to act 

A burnt-out Garda van is taken away after rioters set it on fire during a protest outside the Citywest Ipas centre in Saggart, Dublin, in October. Picture: Padraig O'Reilly

I have been researching anti-Muslim racism in Ireland for the past 15 years. During that time, I have developed an evidence base that has charted the form of anti-Muslim racism in the Irish context. This has included gathering data with literally hundreds of Muslim men and women. 

These data, which I have published on, and spoken publicly about, highlight how, when it comes to this phenomenon, patterns and manifestations of anti-Muslim racism in Ireland are no different to those in other countries. 

For example, Muslim women experience anti-Muslim racism at rates higher than Muslim men; those who convert to Islam, as in other jurisdictions, are classed as ‘traitors’ for practising their right to freedom of religious belief. 

Before I go further, yes, I refer to anti-Muslim as racism, and this will raise a response of ‘Muslims aren’t a race’. Indeed, but we know ‘races’ as commonly understood, do not really exist, and the use of racism here is to point to the social and the political factors that construct a group as a ‘race’ and the consequences thereof.

As for the socio-political context in Ireland, over the past 15 years, my research has also witnessed the growth of far-right groups in the State. 

I remember speaking informally to a member of An Garda Síochána about a decade ago, trying to ascertain how groups like this were being viewed by the authorities. I was told the number of people in such groups were small and the gardaí were monitoring them. 

Reading a report in the media last week, relating to the thwarted terrorist attacks on a mosque and Ipas centre in Ireland, I was struck again by a reference to the small number of individuals gardaí believed to be involved in groups such as those planning the attacks. 

James Carr: 'The call for hate speech legislation was never about limiting freedom of speech, it was about curtailing speech that harms and creates fear, and, in doing so, protecting those targeted by far-right groups and their toxic, hate-filled calls to violence.' Picture: Alan Place

In the first instance, it took me back to the previous conversation I had had. In the second instance, I found it extremely unsettling. Yes, the gardaí had uncovered and thwarted the planned terrorist attacks — this is excellent and they are absolutely to be commended for doing so. 

However, focusing on this success, and ignoring the comment about the numbers of those involved in far-right groups willing to engage in such acts seriously misses the point.

Over the last decade, groups engaging in far-right rhetoric and discourse, in addition to number, have grown increasingly emboldened in Ireland to the point they gather and sometimes march openly in military fatigues in our cities. 

On and offline, they disseminate hatred and threats to harm those they feel do not form part of contemporary Ireland. These include immigrants, Muslims and members of LGBTQ+ communities, communities that also include of course, black and brown Irish people. 

This growth has been allowed to essentially go unchallenged by Government, with the exception of the occasional condemnatory remark. Indeed, if anything, the ability of such far-right groups to spread their hate has been enabled. 

While we welcomed the introduction of hate-crime legislation, people working in anti-racism in Ireland were let down by the failure of Government to legislate against hate-speech lest it curb personal freedoms. 

It is a miracle no one was killed in the attack in the Ipas centre in Drogheda.

The call for hate speech legislation was never about limiting freedom of speech, it was about curtailing speech that harms and creates fear, and, in doing so, protecting those targeted by far-right groups and their toxic, hate-filled calls to violence; it’s about protecting people.

It is a miracle no one was killed in the attack in the Ipas centre in Drogheda. It is also a blessing the excellent work of gardaí thwarted further planned terrorist activity at mosques and other Ipas centres. 

It is now beyond time Government took the threat posed by far-right actors in the State seriously, not just when politicians are threatened. 

Legislating for hate speech is just one way in which they could indicate this seriousness, but it requires political will, a political will that demonstrates in no uncertain terms that racism and other exclusionary practices in Ireland will not be tolerated. What are we waiting for?

• Dr James Carr is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at University of Limerick and principal investigator of the Sustainable Alliances Against Anti-Muslim Hatred project