Haarris wdill lemgislate iif rtequsired ‘frustration’ at home demos

AHCTIOANPRLANRSIIMSON

LOUISE BURNE Political Correspondent

TAOISEACH Simon Harris said he is “frustrated” at protests outside politicians’ homes as he called for clarity on whether new laws were needed.

However, he denied his frustration lies with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, despite the Taoiseach questioning if officers feel “disempowered”.

It comes following a picket outside Integration Minister Roderic O’gorman’s home in West Dublin last week.

Mr Harris told RTE’S Today with Claire Byrne: “I’m a little frustrated that this is going on for too long. It’s been since [2019] when people were outside my home. I worry there’s a worsening of what we’re actually seeing.

“No [I am not frustrated with the Garda Commissioner]. Let me be very clear.

“I want to have a very clear answer right now, as the leader of the government do we need new laws? If we do, let’s get on with it. I want gardai to have absolute clarity that when they get a call to an incident, that this State has their back.”

Mr Harris also vowed hate speech legislation will be passed before the end of this Government in March 2025.

He stated people have asked “legitimate questions” about freedom of speech and “definitions” as he indicated Justice Minister Helen Mcentee will “bring forward proposals to the three coalition leaders in the next few weeks”.

Politicians have been wrangling over the wording of the Bill, which aims to overhaul 1989 incitement to hatred legislation, and introduce laws that would see “hate” become an aggravating factor in certain offences.

Concerns have been raised around a lack of clarity on what “hate” means, and what impact the legislation could have on freedom of speech.

Sinn Fein and some government politicians, including Fine Gael TDS Charlie Flanagan and Michael Ring, want the hate speech draft laws to be scrapped entirely.

Mr Harris said the measure was in the Programme for Government and that he finds it “a little unusual” that almost all 160 TDS voted in favour of the hate speech draft law, and now some are “running around as if they’ve never heard of the Bill”.

He added they need to ensure “the Bill is right” and that some TDS and people have “asked legitimate questions about how the law can be improved”.

SIMON HARRIS YESTERDAY

Do we need new laws? If we do, let’s get on with it