The European Commission is threatening the Irish government with punishment if it does not agree to criminalize people for their “words, ideas and opinions,” but officials in Ireland are fighting back, with promises to defend their own rules of conduct.
It is the Christian Institute that is reporting the commission has given Ireland two months to comply with its own leftist “hate speech” agenda, or else be referred to the EU’s court of justice.
But Ken O’Flynn, a deputy in the government, openly challenged the agenda, wondering whether under the leftist ideologies quoting the Bible will “become a punishable act.”
“Will this government stand over a law that criminalizes people for what they think, criminalizes people for what they say rather than what they do?” he wondered. “We are not talking about the incitement of violence, we are not talking about threats or harassment, we are talking about words, ideas and opinions; often and sometimes unpopular and uncomfortable, but still lawful expressions, which are supposedly free.”
O’Flynn cited the disaster that developed for speech in Finland, when leftists there demanded the prosecution of Parliamentarian Paivi Rasanen, who quoted the Bible online and has been under threat ever since.
Or the case of a Swedish pastor who was sentenced to a month in prison for publishing a sermon.
Both the online statements Bible and sermon contained thoughts and ideas taken from the Bible, with which leftist and radicals disagree.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue explained that whatever limits are adopted they must be proportionate to offenses, and “recognize the deep value of free speech, and the right for freedom of expression.”
A report from the Times quoted a government official confirming he does not expect any further speech restrictions, and that his nation as a solid defense to the claims from the commission.
The institute reported, “Following widespread criticism, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee removed incitement to hatred from the initial proposals of the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024. But the law still allows tougher sentences in instances where crimes are deemed to be motivated by hostility towards a protected group.”
That compromise came about because of concern a previously scheme could have left churches facing criminal charges for preaching Bible-based sexual ethics, which are hated by the LGBT community at large.