Irish Examiner view: Satire is not hate speech

Controversial sketch received over 1,100 complaints

Mattie McGrath: Calling for a review of broadcaster's funding.

Calls from Independent TD Mattie McGrath to review funding to RTÉ after it broadcast a controversial sketch on its New Year’s Eve show suggests the nature of satire will remain a hot topic.

The broadcaster received over 1,100 complaints from viewers offended by a Waterford Whispers News sketch that accused God of rape. 

Mr McGrath was not too far off the mark when he said it offended both Christians and the victims of sexual violence. 

It was also distinctly unfunny but it was not, as some have suggested, blasphemous, not in a legal sense anyway, as Ireland voted to remove the blasphemy from the Constitution in 2018.

The complaints are timely, though, as they might prompt further debate on what constitutes hate speech, which will be the subject of legislation later this year. 

The key test for criminal hate speech, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said, will be the perpetrator’s intentions in inciting hatred rather than how the words are perceived by the victim.

The RTÉ sketch has clearly caused offence but, in a democracy, we should be free to do that. 

By any measure, funding to the broadcaster should not be affected by its feeble attempt at satire. The station has apologised and the segment on the RTÉ Player now comes with a warning that it contains adult content.

On the other hand, it is an entirely different — and soon to be criminal — matter when words are used recklessly to incite hatred against an individual or a group of people.