Love Not Hate: Unite to legislate against hate crime

Ireland, unlike most other EU countries, has no hate crime legislation.

The YES Equality campaign was an amazing show of public support for equality in Ireland. We want our government to take the next step, and protect those among us who are perceived to be different because of our skin colour, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical, intellectual, mental abilities and so on. We need to send a clear message that racism and hate have no place in our communities and that our society should be inclusive of all.

The proposed Criminal Law (Hate Crime) Bill was drafted in 2015 and provides for sentencing to be increased and for crimes to be treated as more serious if prejudice or hate can be shown to be a motive. However, now that the Bill has been drafted, the Government has yet to take action to review and introduce it, leaving minorities in Ireland without protection. We have the draft legislation, so let’s put it into action!

Please sign this petition to the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has the power to enact this legislation. Let’s make sure she feels the strong pressure from thousands of us to protect our families, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Help us send out a strong message that we want to live in a truly inclusive Republic which values all of our minorities and the integrity of our communities. Let's make sure there is no space for hate in our country.