Huge thanks to everyone who has helped crowd source our event on the 23rd - we have covered over 60% of the costs.

Unlike established NGOs, Free Speech Ireland are a team of volunteers with no government funding. Even as little as €5 goes a long way towards helping our operations & events:

https://freespeechireland.ie/support-us/

Grace Sullivan, a lawyer and member of Free Speech Ireland, said she is concerned about Ireland's Hate Speech Bill as “it makes use of the criminal law to restrict the freedom of speech protected under the Irish constitution.”

(1/2) ⚠️ Civil Rights Alert:

The below screenshot is from Coimisiún na Meán's (CnaM) draft Online Safety Code. CnaM have been given authority by Dublin & Brussels to regulate Video-Sharing Platform Services (VSPS), such as X, YouTube, & Facebook. Through their Code, CnaM are proposing to make VSPS penalisable for 'harmful content' posted by users.

Most notable, 𝗩𝗦𝗣𝗦 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, or as they say “content that is indissociable from user-generated videos.” This would mean to avoid penalties, platforms such as X would need to censor user content that is not even regarded as 'harmful' under the Code.

(2/2) While these regulations are to be enforced in Ireland, they could lead to censorship worldwide. The offices of many of the VSPS based in Dublin are their European headquarters. Brussels-based journalist
@PeterCaddle
says such censorship could soon hit America as it will “likely be easier to apply EU censorship rules to all users rather than to try to split the user base into EU and non-EU users.”

The deadline for submissions for the consultation on the draft Online Safety Code is the 31st of January. Details can be found here:

https://t.co/KEWhT8aCKr

“Speech Regulations in 2024”

Free Speech Ireland and Academics for Academic Freedom are proud to announce an informative evening on Tuesday, 23rd of January.

2024 is set to be an exceptional year. Governments across the Western world are reviewing centuries-old rights in the face of the information age, and Ireland has found itself as a focal point in it all.

Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freespeechireland/1113638

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 this legislation. Sign the petition:
https://freespeechireland.ie/TakeAction/

#BinTheBill

➡️ follow us on Telegram: @freespeechire

The #BintheBill campaign is picking up momentum!

Say no to the Hate Speech Bill - Sign the petition:
https://freespeechireland.ie/TakeAction/

Advocacy group Free Speech Ireland has launched its “Bin the Bill” campaign in order to tackle the government’s plan to introduce “onerous anti-free speech legislation”


#gript

https://gript.ie/free-speech-ireland-launch-bin-the-bill-campaign-in-fight-against-hate-speech-law/

It has been a tremendous week for FSI. Our latest newsletter, recapping all these developments, has been published.

Subscribe here to read the newsletter:
https://freespeechireland.ie/join

Sarah O’Reilly of Free Speech Ireland warned that “social media users are likely to be among the first people prosecuted” if the bill is passed.

“The bill doesn’t define hatred, despite it being in the name of the bill,” says Ms O’Reilly. “Hate is a highly subjective term, and leaving such a broad concept undefined is irresponsible law-making.

“Laws that result in criminal sentences need to be understood simply by the public — but this bill is anything but clear.”

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/hate-speech-bill-is-restrictive-and-undemocratic-warns-barrister-as-7000-people-sign-petition/a1608824054.html

The #BinTheBill 2024 Petition has reached our goal of 10,000 faster than expected!

We want as many people as possible to hear about our petition before we hand it in to government. So we'll be holding gatherings around the country in the coming weeks to tap into the widespread opposition to Helen McEntee's Hate Speech Bill. Stay tuned for more details.

Thank you to everyone who has signed so far - if you haven't already, you can still:
https://FreeSpeechIreland.ie/Petition/

In an interview with Gript, Elon Musk warned that Ireland's hate speech proposals would put people at "the mercy" of those who would define speech they don't like as 'hate speech' - and pledged to fund Irish legal challenges to the legislation.

https://gript.ie/elon-musk-will-fund-legal-challenges-to-irish-hate-speech-legislation/