SF insists it’s still ‘left wing’ despite hate-speech U-turn
SINN Féin has insisted it is still a left-wing and progressive party despite calling for the hate-speech legislation to be dropped.
The party also recently shifted to the right on immigration, leading to accusations from other left-wing parties that Sinn Féin is opportunistically courting support from both sides of the political spectrum.
Incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris has signalled he will not abandon the controversial legislation, despite calls from the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil backbenches.
Senior Government sources conceded that the Bill is in the Programme for Government, meaning that it can not be dropped in its entirety. They said: ‘There is a need for legislation to do something in this area. But there are areas of the Bill that could be amended or delayed.’
Sinn Féin previously supported the Bill in the Dáil, before voting against it in the Seanad, insisting that they supported its intention, but wanted to see amendments made to the legislation. However, the party has now confirmed it wants the hate-speech legislation to be binned.
Pearse Doherty, the party’s finance spokesman, said: ‘We had raised serious concerns with this legislation right through the process and had tabled a number of amendments. The Government in its arrogance refused to listen, not only to Sinn Féin’s amendment but also to the other amendments from the Opposition.’
Mr Doherty said it was time to stop the ‘farce’ of the Bill as he said too much time had been spent on the proposed legislation, which did not have crossparty support.
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, the party’s social protection spokesman, said the party had voted against the legislation in the Seanad in June 2023. However the party voted in favour of the legislation in the Dáil only a few weeks earlier.
Mr Ó Laoghaire said: ‘The reason that we voted against it last June is the reason that we are opposed to it now. We believe that it goes too far. Some of the definitions are far too broad.
‘Too much time has been taken up by this. We have expressed concerns from the outset.
‘The proposed legislation has been stuck in the Seanad since last year, after concerns were raised about the lack of definition around the word hate.’
Asked by the Irish Daily Mail what the party would say to its left-wing supporters now it had dropped support for the hatespeech Bill and moved to the right on immigration, Mr Ó Laoghaire said: ‘Political opponents will characterise things in different manners.
‘But ultimately, in my view, free speech and striking the right balance is a progressive value. It is important that we strike the balance in relation to that and it is important that legislation is fit for purpose. This legislation is not fit for purpose.
‘We will see in the local elections and I think that working class communities see us very much as the voice that will stand up for marginalised communities.’
Pressed on whether the party still sees itself as a left-wing party, Mr Ó Laoghaire said they did.
Speaking at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors conference, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said of the controversial Bill: ‘This is an important Programme for Government commitment. People in our country do not feel safe simply because of who they are.
‘Hate crime is on the increase. That’s being made clear to me by members of An Garda Síochána.’ She added: ‘But as has been the case for any legislation that I’ve brought forward, I’m listening to and I’m engaging with colleagues where issues and concerns have been raised.’
‘We believe that it goes too far’