Hate speech could be punished by up to five years imprisonment

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Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD. Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD. Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

The Cabinet last week approved a Bill intended to make prosecutions for hate speech and hate crimes easier.

Advocates for an update to hate legislation have argued the bar for a prosecution is too high under current laws.

But critics say the new law will be an unacceptable infringement on the freedom of speech.

So does the proposed legislation get the balance right?

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To dig into a thorny subject, Hugh Linehan talks to speech rights expert Eoin O’Dell, a Fellow and Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Law on this week’s Inside Politics podcast.