Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2024-10-16
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

We have very different views on this.
It is important to remember that a hate crime is a criminal offence, whether it is harassment, assault, vandalism or any other crime. It is a crime aggravated by hatred. An attacker's perception of somebody's gender identity becomes a reason to victimise them. Where a person is targeted based on their gender, where they are harassed or attacked or where their property is vandalised or stolen, a hate crime has been committed. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure the perpetrators of hate crime offences are punished appropriately. For the reasons outlined, I cannot accept any of these amendments.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2024-10-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:53:22+00:00
Sitting date: 2024-10-16