The Coalition Against Hate Crime, comprising 23 civil society organisations which represent communities impacted by hate crime, wants the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 to be passed “as a matter of urgency”.

It comes after An Garda Síochána said that hate crimes and incidents reported to the force increased by 12 per cent in 2023 compared with the previous year.

Luna Lara Liboni, chairperson of the Coalition Against Hate Crime and senior policy officer with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, said the figures show “hate crime and hostility towards our communities are a growing reality in Ireland”.

“These numbers should serve as a wake-up call for all public representatives and political parties as to date, Ireland still has no hate crime legislation,” she added.

The proposed bill would be Ireland’s first-ever piece of hate crime legislation and would update existing legislation on extreme hate speech.

The Coalition Against Hate Crime has called for the introduction of hate crime legislation for many years. Polling suggests that, beyond affected communities and human rights organisations, the introduction of legislation is supported by gardaí and legal professionals.

A recent study also shows that there is clear appreciation among the general public of the harms of hate crime, that hate crime is seen as a serious and growing problem and that there is a high level of public support for the protection of a broad range of characteristics under legislation.