Government accused of 'cowardice' and being 'afraid' in relation to Hate Speech Bill

Following confirmation on Saturday by Helen McEntee that elements of the proposed Hate Speech Bill will be amended, Jennifer Whitmore TD has accused the government of "cowardice" and being "afraid".

The highly controversial bill has been a big topic of conversation for politicians since it has been announced, especially over the wording of the bill and what is defined as "hate".

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The Minister for Justice said "We currently have incitement to hatred legislation. I believe it needs to be strengthened, however we need a consensus to do that. We don’t currently have that. So, I am moving forward with the hate crime element of the legislation."

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has said following Helen McEntee's announcement 

"I think it’s cowardice by the government. This has been worked on for years and the fact that now … (as) we’re coming up to an election that they’re afraid to go ahead with this is just unacceptable,” she said on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics programme."

"It wasn’t perfect, but any of the concerns that people had, I think, could have actually been dealt with throughout the debating process, and it could have actually come out with quite a strong piece of legislation."