Ireland to criminalise Holocaust denial

Ireland is set to criminalise Holocaust denial, it was reported last week. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is introducing the new hate crime bill which has the power to impose a “Class C fine”, “imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months”, or both to anyone who “publicly condones, denies or grossly trivialises any act falling within the definition of a ‘genocide’ in Article II of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention).”

In January, Mr Martin said that education is an “important tool” in strengthening and deepening the collective understanding of the events of the Holocaust, and maintained that the country is continually committed to combating antisemitism.

While the new ban against Holocaust denial will come as welcome news to many, it is notable that Ireland remained neutral during the Second World War, and a recent report has indicated that Ireland has a problem with antisemitism. It was also reported last week that a politician in Ireland had claimed that Israel was trying to accomplish “Jewish supremacy”.

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