Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called for new CCTV and hate legislation stating that they are “not up to date,” following the riots over fatal stabbings in Dublin.
Varadkar spoke in the Dublin Castle Friday, just a day after riots broke out in response to numerous people being stabbed outside of a Dublin primary school. While the name of the person behind the attack was not released, rumors online claimed that it was an Algerian immigrant which sparked the chaotic events, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: Tensions Rise After Multiple Children Stabbed In Attack Outside Irish Elementary School: REPORTS)
In response to the riots the Irish prime minister said that he will be seeking to “pass new laws” regarding both hate legislation as well as rolling in new legislation surrounding the use of CCTV. Both issues were highlighted by the prime minister as methods that would not only catch the people responsible for rioting but would help ensure future legal repercussions for alleged offenders.
“We will pass new laws in the coming weeks to enable the Gardaí to make better use of the CCTV evidence they collected yesterday, and also we’ll modernize our laws against incitement to hatred and hatred in general – and that is more required than ever was the case before,” Varadkar stated.
“I think it’s now very obvious to anyone who might have doubted it that our incitement to hatred legislation is just not up to date…we need that legislation through, we need it through within a matter of weeks,” Varadkar continued. “Because it’s not just the [social medial] platforms that have responsibility here and they do. There’s also the individuals who post messages and images online that stir up hatred and violence and we need to be able to use laws to go after them individually as well.”
NEW: Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar vows new “hate speech” laws in response to the Dublin riots after a migrant stabbed multiple people.
What a coward.
The news comes as UFC legend Conor McGregor has come out swinging against Ireland’s loose migration policy, saying the… pic.twitter.com/JpLMxObsq3
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 25, 2023
However, both CCTV legislation and Ireland’s current 2022 criminal justice bill has received push back within the last year. Government parties found issues with plans for the country to legislate facial recognition technology (FRT) slowing the use of CCTV evidence, according to The Journal. Additionally, the Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offenses bill was delayed after it received a large negative pushback earlier in the year, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Grave Danger’: Conor McGregor Rips Irish Government After Fatal Stabbings, Calls For Immigration Restrictions)
The Irish prime minister also addressed the violence and stated that the rioters not only brought “shame,” but that they are “filled with hate.”
“Yesterday evening some people decided that the best way to respond to this terrible attack was to take to the streets of Dublin and try to terrify, intimidate, loot, and destroy,” Varadkar stated.
“These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland, they did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people, they did not do it out of any sense of patriotism, however warped. They did so because they’re filled with hate, they love violence, they love chaos, and they love causing pain to others.”
Police arrested 34 people during the night of the riots, with an estimated 500 people looting shops, setting vehicles on fire as well as throwing rocks at crowd control officers, according to PBS.