A video went viral Monday of a woman describing how Ireland’s new “hateful” speech law might literally eradicate free speech, including the sharing of political cartoons and memes amongst friends. And it should worry you.
“The Irish government wants to pass a law that could see you or your loved ones jailed for possession of memes, cartoons or any content that could be deemed ‘hateful,'” the video caption reads from Free Speech Ireland. The narrative describes how the “Hate Speech Bill” will have a significant impact on artistic pursuits and freedom of expression across all mediums.
Irish people will be stopped from talking about things like “religion, ethnicity, sex, and gender,” while also stifling the “activity of public campaigning on political and civil issues,” should the law pass.
The Irish government wants to pass a law that could see you or your loved ones jailed for possession of memes, cartoons or any content that could be deemed “hateful”.
The Bill includes no definition of hate and is wide open to abuse by bad actors. Defend free speech – say no to… pic.twitter.com/fe54yY4BFt
— Free Speech Ireland (@FreeSpeechIre) January 15, 2024
The push for adoption of the bill followed a series of riots throughout Ireland that came in response to the brutal stabbing of a woman and three children outside an elementary school in Dublin, according to Fox News. (RELATED: Normal People Having Ideas Is The Biggest Threat To Global Security, Concludes Cartoonish Bond Villains At Davos)
The bill does not define the word “hate,” but it does give the government power to silence absolutely anyone and anything it wants, criminalizing those involved just like the U.K. already does to its citizens.
In late 2023, a former Metropolitan police officer was convicted of expressing his thoughts, humor, and opinions to his friends in a private WhatsApp group. None of the jokes in the group sought to hurt anyone, blow anyone up, poison anyone with fentanyl. In fact, nothing in the messages suggested any real-world action other than maybe a mild giggle.
But having private conversations with your friends is illegal in Great Britain now, and it may be in Ireland too. My phone is full of jokes that my friends and I share. I bet yours is too. I don’t think the content of these jokes is hateful, but apparently the unelected leadership of my home country might. (RELATED: Europe Threatens To Ban Twitter For Allowing Free Speech)
And if you think the U.S. won’t develop and try to implement a similar law, you’re an idiot. The World Economic Forum is already fighting its darndest to
So, while we still have free speech here, make sure you do everything in your power to protect it. Free speech is the only thing that stands between America staying America, or becoming a cheap, inbred cousin of the Taliban, China, or North Korea.