U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) sent a letter to Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason on Tuesday expressing his concern over a bill in the Irish parliament.
The bill, introduced last year, would combat “hate speech” by amending Irish law “relating to the prohibition of incitement to violence or hatred against a person or a group of persons on account of certain characteristics (referred to as protected characteristics) of the person or the group of persons.”
Vance said the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022, if enacted, would “severely undermine freedom of speech” in the country of Ireland.
In response to an Irish senator speaking on the bill last month, Vance wrote on X, “Ireland senator wants to criminalize speech that causes too much ‘discomfort’ for people. If this were happening in Russia or China or many other nations we would call it totalitarian and threaten economic sanctions.”
In this week’s letter to Ambassador Nason, Vance argued that the U.S. routinely condemns censorship in countries such as China and Iran, but has not yet done so for the “similarly draconian” measures proposed in Ireland.
“The proposed legislation…is full of vague prohibitions that would chill important public debate if they were to become law, particularly with respect to the most controversial and publicly significant matters,” Vance wrote.
“I am alarmed that one of our closest friends, a democracy dedicated to upholding cherished freedoms, should undertake such legislation,” Vance added.
Vance concluded his letter by requesting answers from the ambassador to the following three questions:
If passed into law, would Ireland’s Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 be consistent with all of Ireland’s treaty obligations?
Would the bill be applicable to all classes of foreign visitors in Ireland if enacted? Would U.S. government officials be subject to its prohibitions if they visit Ireland on state business?
If the bill becomes law, what steps will you take to ensure that Ireland’s departure from fundamental values like the freedom of expression does not damage its relationship with the United States?”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “JD Vance” by JD Vance. Background Photo “Irish Dáil Chamber” by House of the Oireachtas. CC BY 2.0.
