Irish advocacy group championing free speech, expression, and academic freedom.
Broadcasts are advocacy as well as news.
Contact:
info@freespeechireland.ie
The Green Party will “certainly” try to pass new hate speech laws after the general election if they return to government, party leader Roderic O’Gorman has said:
It would be a complete neglect of democratic duty by Helen Mc Entee to 'guillotine' discourse over the Hate Speech Bill, as Senator Rónán Mullen highlighted in the Seanad this evening.
It is a huge victory that the sections of the Hate Speech Bill introducing new sentences for hate speech will be removed. The Bill has become a political hazard for the Government, thanks to everyone who has shown their support for free speech.
However, the Bill remains problematic in several ways, from the powers granted to seize devices to the criminalisation of debate over genocide. We will be paying close attention to the upcoming amendments in the Seanad.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who has supported us and attended our events over the past two years.
When asked about blocking particular social media sites in Ireland, Michele Neylon, CEO of Blacknight, said, “Is that really the way we want to do things?”
“I am one of those people who believes in a free and open internet as much as possible”—well said!
Looking forward to greeting attendees tomorrow at the Free Speech Summit. Doors will be open from 5 PM, with talks starting promptly at 6. Food will be provided after the event.
If you haven't received the location yet, please email us at info@freespeechireland.ie.
Proponents of the Hate Speech Bill present it as a modernised version of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act of 1989, tailored for the digital age. However, the Bill encompasses much more than that.
Responding to claims that controversy over the Hate Speech Bill has been fueled by misinformation and alarmism, Grace Sullivan, a barrister and member of FSI, said that “the Bill that they seek to bring in is different to the 1989 Act”.
Assignees of the Trinity Declaration say “academic freedom and freedom of expression” must be “sacrosanct” but are “routinely ignored” by Irish universities who pledge allegiance to political ideologies such as Athena Swan
We have launched the Trinity Declaration on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression to lay the groundwork for the fight back, to protect academic freedom in Ireland.
