Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 May 2024
341. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the steps her Department is taking to monitor and combat the increasingly violent far right in Ireland and to prevent further violent actions by these individuals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23957/24]
View answerThere is no place in our society for violent extremist behaviour and I strongly condemn those engaged in such actions. Ireland has become a more diverse and welcoming country in recent decades, but regrettably there is a small minority who subject others to abuse or attack resulting from their own prejudice, whether under the guise of protesting or in other contexts. I also condemn those who would spread hate online with a view to stoking up tensions.
While people have the right to protest, and of course that right must be respected, people do not have the right to do this in a way that causes others to fear for their safety or to do so in a way that threatens public order. I have spoken to the Garda Commissioner and have been very clear that every support will be provided to An Garda Síochána to ensure appropriate action in respect of violent political extremism, whether by individuals or groups. If the line between protesting and threatening or intimidating behaviour is crossed there are a number of provisions in our laws that apply.
The Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána by law. This includes the monitoring of protest activity where there is potential for serious policing and security implications to arise. The rule of law, human rights and the principle of proportionality are respected at all times.
When people go beyond what is acceptable, and put others in danger, members of An Garda Síochána will protect all members of the public and uphold the law. I am satisfied that there is a wide range of legislation under which threats and intimidation can be prosecuted, including the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act and Public Order legislation.
The law is kept under review in this area.
The manifestation of on-line disinformation and incitement as violent action in the physical world is of particular concern to my Department and An Garda Síochána and part of the Garda Síochána response to such incidents is to investigate the role of relevant online activity. As the Deputy will of course be aware, the online environment can also be a key enabler of harmful content, including disinformation.
It is clear that social media companies have an important responsibility to resource and operate robust systems of detection including the timely removal of harmful content.
In respect of online content, An Garda Síochána can coordinate where necessary with Europol and online service providers to request the removal of terrorist or extremist material. The EU Regulation on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online provides for the removal of illegal content and a legal framework to ensure that hosting service providers address the misuse of their services for the dissemination of such content.
Additionally, as the Deputy will be aware, my colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media has introduced the Online Services and Media Regulation Act and established Coimisiún na Meán, to regulate online media, including enforcing rules about how online services or platforms should deal with harmful and illegal content on their services. Minister Martin is also overseeing the process to develop a National Counter Disinformation Strategy which is expected to be published later this year.
Ireland is not unique in terms of dealing with issues of extremism. The Government and relevant state bodies also engage regularly with the EU and other partners on the evolving nature of extremism in various ideologies. For example, my Department is fully engaged with EU partners through the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN). This is to develop our understanding of the evolution of the threat posed by extremist actors in order to take appropriate measures to counter such threats.
