‘Massive Attack Against Freedom of Speech’: Elon Musk Condemns Ireland’s Orwellian Hate Speech Bill
Chris Menahan
Ireland is about to pass “one of the most radical hate speech bills” in the entire world which will throw people in jail for possessing “hateful” material on their devices and consider the accused guilty until proven innocent.
“Ireland is about to pass one of the most radical hate speech bills yet,” Irish nationalist Keith Woods said on Twitter. “Merely possessing ‘hateful’ material on your devices is enough to face prison time.”
“Not only that, but the burden of proof is shifted to the accused, who is expected to prove they didn’t intend to use the material to ‘spread hate’. This clause is so radical that even the Trotskyist People Before Profit opposed it as a flagrant violation of civil liberties. Dark times.”
Ireland is about to pass one of the most radical hate speech bills yet. Merely possessing “hateful” material on your devices is enough to face prison time.
Not only that, but the burden of proof is shifted to the accused, who is expected to prove they didn’t intend to use the… https://t.co/DA41PEfvbt pic.twitter.com/UGKWzz66kM
— Keith Woods (@KeithWoodsYT) April 28, 2023
“This is a massive attack against freedom of speech,” Elon Musk responded.
This is a massive attack against freedom of speech
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2023
Thank you Elon. Twitter is a lifeline for political speech in Ireland. I hope you will hold good on your promise to safeguard it.
— Keith Woods (@KeithWoodsYT) April 29, 2023
“It’s insane what’s happening in the ‘free world,'” Donald Trump Jr. commented.
It’s insane what’s happening in the “free world” https://t.co/BXEJoR1ios
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 30, 2023
“Thank you for standing for free speech!” Woods responded. “What’s happening in the West is tragic. And now Meatball Ron [DeSantis] is signing hate-speech legislation for Florida in a foreign country. I hope you take your country back!”
Thank you for standing for free speech!
What’s happening in the West is tragic. And now Meatball Ron is signing hate-speech legislation for Florida in a foreign country. I hope you take your country back! pic.twitter.com/ZJKvlgwf1K
— Keith Woods (@KeithWoodsYT) May 1, 2023
“Ireland has had uninterrupted rule of “centrist” liberals for decades. Ireland embraced neoliberalism as much as any small state, growing the economy on its ‘competitiveness’ for American companies and finance capital,” Woods said in another post.
“Now that the transformation into an identityless global economic zone is almost complete, hate speech and similar legislation are necessary to ensure the Irish people cannot again express sovereignty over their homeland.”
Last year the Minister of State James Browne said his Department of Justice intended to use hate speech legislation to shut down opposition to asylum seekers being dumped in communities around the country. pic.twitter.com/4NcCtyWFHm
— Keith Woods (@KeithWoodsYT) April 30, 2023
Legislating for “the creation of a thought crime.”
Congratulations to @paulmurphy_TD for this outstanding defence of Free Speech today in Dáil Éireann.
We need more opposition TDs to stand up the dystopian repercussions of this Hate Speech bill. pic.twitter.com/gCEGpLgR3O
— Free Speech Ireland (@FreeSpeechIre) April 26, 2023
Earlier this year, the Irish police announced they were monitoring Woods just for interviewing Catholic reactionary Nick Fuentes for a podcast talking about politics.
Ireland was quite possibly the most conservative country in all of Europe just two decades ago but since Google, Apple, Facebook and other “woke” US megacorporations flooded into the country to take advantage of their low tax rates and exert their influence they’ve become one of the most (neo)liberal.
