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1. #DUNNES STORES: The company’s employees have been on their long-expected strike over pay and their working environment this morning
2. #LONGFORD: A €200 million holiday resort project is on its way to Ballymahon in the midlands. Speaking at the launch the Taoiseach described the news as being ‘Longford’s day’.
3. #STORM: At least nine people have died after Storm Niklas barrelled its way across central Europe. Tens of thousands of homes are still without electricity.
4. #INTEL: Two men have been arrested in connection with the hoax bomb threat at Intel’s Leixlip plant in January.
5. #OVERCROWDING: Health minister Leo Varadkar has announced details of a €74 million fund to combat overcrowding in Irish hospitals among other things.
6. #TWO PINTS: Who is this mystery man that Enda Kenny keeps meeting? And can he really carry two pints in one hand?
Main image: Poulnabrone Dolmen, Co. Clare – Nicolas Raymond.
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Hate crime laws only serve to further divide by making a hierarchy of victim and offender based on race/gender/sexual orientation. A crime is a crime and should be treated accordingly. Seems like the ICCL don’t understand what they are supposed to be about.
@Flip off: The motivation for a crime is always relevant. If this motivation is the colour of someone’s skin or the way they dress, that ignorance is something that should not be tolerated and needs to be addressed by new legislation. There’s clearly a problem if we’ve a higher rate.
@Flip off: the ICCL is about the ICCL. There are many hate crimes committed all over place. But I doubt ICCL figures though, interpersonal confrontations are not always about race or differences, it’s not automatically a hate crime if one side is a minority, so ‘reported’ figures have little credence. I’d guess there are similar levels all across Europe. They want that slippery slope so they can be powerful like their American counterparts.
@Greg Blake: More than 21% had six or more physical attacks over the last 5 years. SIX! That’s a huge number. I haven’t been physically attacked since the school playground and that wasn’t serious. Not all are racially motivated but it sounds like an awful lot are.
Hate crimes are especially egregious because they are motivated by a hate derived from a deeply engrained prejudice, a hatred of human beings for irrelevant circumstances and are especially dangerous because the attacks are so vicious. The victims are especially vulnerable. It shows a society at its worst. Hate crimes are especially infectious.
I saw a young Chinese couple being attacked in Dublin by 3 young lads. A group of us fought off the young lads. There was an especially ugly, vicious and manic quality to their attack and no sense of shame. They were driven by pure hatred.
Powerful laws are required to stop people who are motivated by such hatred from acting out their hate. Hate crimes help to stop the haters getting into serious trouble.
Hatred of any minority is an infection in society. Acting out hatred has to be stamped out. Programs against Jews, KKK style attacks on minorities get a fast grip, imitation develops.
Hate attacks show the most atavistic, primal and inhumane side of human nature. All of society, not just the direct and immediate victims, need to be protected against the pernicious and toxic effect of hate motivated crime against minorities.
Hate motivated crimes attacks the solidarity and cohesion of a peaceful and tolerant society. Making hare crimes a special category sends a message to the Judiciary that such crimes are of an aggravated nature and deserve severe punishment for a deterrent and condemnatory effect.
It is not possible to stop haters from hating. Many of such people are just hard wired that way. What a civilized society can do is not to allow such people worsen a society and make attacks on vulnerable minorities fair game or implicitly condoned.
The other reason more severe penalties are needed is because the lack of direct connection between the attackers and their victims and the tendency for lack of identification to be an aspect, detection is difficult and so greater deterrence is essential.
A hate crime should be a special and aggravated category category of crime and should receive longer prison sentences with no prospect of probation or suspended sentences.
@Paul Laing: Oh get over yourself will you? Motivation is subjective. “Hate” in the current usage is a new word invented by an idle group of otherwise unemployable so-called “academics” in order to beat people whose political views they may not agree with. We have laws covering all crimes – we don’t need a new category (to be “stamped out” – there’s something awfully hateful about that concept).
@Paul Laing: hate is terrible Paul/Michael/Tony especially your hatred of all things Catholic.
@Greg Blake:Correct Ireland is no worse than anywhere else, Same voices calling out these figures for whatever they gain. Is there any laws against hating common Irish people
The Irish Council of Civil Liberties .
Another George Soros funded think tank.
@Charlie Hunter: assume you can prove that?
@Charlie Hunter: a lot of fascists would support your assertion.
@Graham: Yes- it’s on their website
‘ICCL is very grateful for the support of our funders and supporters, below, without whom our work would not be possible.
The Open Society Foundation’
@JimmyMc: any chance of an apology for Jimmy lads?
Chuck Feeney as well as George Soros. They’re up to their necks in American funding. Soros is funding this kind of BS all across Europe.
@Paul Laing:
Whether they do or not is beyond my control, I’m merely stating a fact.
@Seamus Mac:
#MeToo.
@Charlie Hunter: Another press event by super quango Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) to promote its ‘relevance’ and protect the careers of these self-styled do-gooders. If anyone has the funding they can commission a report or poll to ‘highlight’ the vital importance of some interest of theirs. All that remains to be done then is circulate your lefty buddies in the Dublin media and suddenly it’s news…….’A recent report shows……
Problem is both quangos and the media are in a symbiotic relationship and need each other to thrive.
@Charlie Hunter: apologies I meant Charlie
The Government would want to look at the reason why this happening this week Ire take in 25 families from the boats they already have houses full entitlements dole 500 each for settling in to the environment. This is all fine if there is no homeless or families sleeping in one bedroom hotels our streets are full and they wonder why people are feeling a bit racist . Now before the do Gooders decide to jump down my throat of course these people are in dire straits and need to be looked after but you have to look after your own first.
@Donal Carey: both situations can and should be addressed.
The failure to address one should not be an excuse to fail to address the others. Two wrongs don’t balance out.
@Donal Carey: it’s not a zero sum issue. Would you have us wait until we’re the perfect utopian society (twill be a long feckin wait) before we assist anyone outside our borders?
@Donal Carey: Nail on the head.
@Donal Carey: ireland has one of the most generous social welfares in the world. A few years back i was on it. I got nearly 200 notes a week and rent allowance on top. Maybe im wrong but i have no idea how you could become homeless in ireland without mental or serious addiction problems or both. So until we fix addiction and all forms of mental health we should send people back to the war/famine/femalegenitalmutilation many came from. When do you think this will happen??
@Graham: The biggest priority in my books are homeless Irish people the government biggest priority is the poor misfortunate people coming by boat .
@Paul Laing: Paul totally agree
@Patrick Fitzgerald: You cannot go forward in this Country without an address and on 188 a week living in a City where most Landlords don’t want you and most are to expensive even with rent allowance. There are Families living in Hotels of course there are a few people with problems and if you gave them a grand a week it wouldn’t do .
If you’re looking at supposed ‘hate crime’, across Europe then it’s often and increasingly directed at members of the native population. But that wouldnt be a politically correct thing to say.
@Seán Domhnall O’Sullivan: Or accurate. Why don’t you go to england where your craven idiocy would fit right in. You racist joke.
@Sean O’Nilbud: If you can understand Arabic you will hear the same hate speech in Dublin as you will hear in England. On the subject of English the hate speech directed at anyone with an English accent in Ireland is on a smaller scale but still pretty substantial. Any insults directed at anyone with prejudice are hate speech and ignorant in the extreme as you just demonstrated very well.
@Sean O’Nilbud: Why England? You racist joke.
Hate crime is subjective. One person could be offended by a particular message, that another may not. This is dangerous
@Herbert: The above report is talking about physical attacks, not name calling. That’s not subjective at all.
@Herbert: The gay couple recently violently subjected to a groups beating by Hurley sticks may feel hated.
@James O’Nolan: so The Garda pulse number would be available and a complaint could be lodged with GSOC. Unless the whole article is propaganda
@Keith Wizzy: Ascribing motive is difficult. And with the temptation to up the punishment, we’d all be inclined to egg the story.
The two lads in Portlaoise were definitely targeted for being gay; but if a gay man thumps another man? Ditto any other permutation.
It’s an impossible and dangerous path.
Ah the ICCI, just another far left NGO trying to tell us how to live our lives.
@Phil Hegarty: How? assault has always been a crime.
@Phil Hegarty: Funded by Mr. George Soros.
Stats – blah blah blah, means absolutely nothing. If one in five people of a certain colour have been assaulted 9 times I would have at least witnessed ONE such incident in last five years of me going about my outdoor business and social life. But nothing – not even an “N” word in public. I simply don’t believe these figures at all.
Trying to police the way people think now, don’t get me wrong any attack on any individual based on race or sexuality is wrong and should be punished fully, but you cannot legislate for thoughts
@nick_d: You can think what you like no one can stop that. However, I think we’d be in agreement that theres a big difference between thinking and acting.
How about this hate crime
#Ireland2040
@Herbert: no that video doesn’t suit the narrative of ICCL. Only white Irish people commit crimes.
@Herbert: great video, two crazy black people. Not sure if it was a hate crime, actually I’m 100% it had nothing to do with race and all to do with the two guys looking for a fight. Jog on.
You don’t ask people have thought been the victims of a type of crime, you ask a jury have they been the victims of a type crime. This is a flawed idea that will fail society
No surprise there.
Hold on a minute ,where are these figures supposed to be coming from if the guards are not recording crimes as hate crimes ,now we have the highest rates of hate crime in europe,give me a break, as far as im concerned a crime by one person or persons against a person or persons are all hate crimes ,more B.S. by groups trying to justify their existence,crimes are crimes and should be dealt with.
If a white guy beats up a black guy or vice versa it doesnt mean they wont do it to someone their own colour etc,they are just s@#$bags fullstop.
So it’s ok if it’s a love crime but it’s not ok if its a hate crime. Got it! Because most crime is committed by nice loving people against people they don’t hate.
We tolerate hate comments herein…no surprise we hold the rating of hate crime.
Not surprised one bit
Just the right time for this article the twelfth is due soon the ignorance brigade will be directing they’re particular brand of hatred at anyone and everyone all state sanctioned night I add
saying the truth about iternants is now a hate crime?
We tolerate hate comments herein…no surprise we hold the high rating of hate crime.
While I understand those who disagree philosophically with the concept of a ‘hate crime’, I think it is a special circumstance and bigots who go around targeting those different from them, and feel like they can, need to get checked and put in line. I also don’t think we should just automatically adopt whatever other EU countries laws are just because we are in the EU.
have your say