Labour LGBT

Ireland needs a National Action Plan to Combat Hate.

With hate and polarisation increasingly impacting communities across Ireland, LGBT Ireland has joined fellow civil society organisations in calling on the Government to develop and implement a comprehensive, fully resourced National Action Plan to Combat Hate.

Criminal law alone cannot address the growth of hate, polarisation and hostility in Irish society. We need a coordinated, whole-of-government and whole-of-society response that moves beyond criminal law to address the root causes of hate, prevent harm and strengthen communities.

This must include prevention, education, community investment and measures that strengthen social cohesion, alongside meaningful action to address online hate, misinformation and disinformation, including effective accountability for online platforms.

Yesterday, at the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Dublin, our CEO Anne Byrne joined representatives from across civil society at a press conference to make this call, following a National Panel on Hate and Extremism in Ireland, where our Policy & Research Manager Tim Hanley also spoke.

As Anne highlighted at the press conference:

“Hate does not belong to one community, and neither can the response.”

We are calling on the Government to move from recognising the growth of hate to taking meaningful, coordinated action, working with the communities most affected to build a safer, more inclusive and resilient Ireland.

Read the full press release via the link in our bio.

Congratulations on your award LGBT Disregard!!!
This legislation will address a big shadow and stigma that has hung around members of the community for far too long.
Thank you for all of your work.

"Our message from Dublin is that LGBTQ+ people in Türkiye have the right to live without fear, to organise and to protest peacefully." 👉 https://buff.ly/lgo2lec

The Council of Europe has adopted its first Strategy for Equal Rights for LGBTI People! 🏳️‍🌈

The Strategy (2027–32) sets out a common framework for upholding the dignity and equality of LGBTI people. Its four priorities for action:

🌈Recognising the equal rights and dignity of LGBTI people, promoting respect and inclusion
📢Countering disinformation and manipulation of information
❌️Preventing and combating violence and hatred against LGBTI people
⚖️Strengthening protection through effective legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks

At a time when equality is under pressure, the Strategy reaffirms the Council of Europe’s commitment to ensuring that human rights, democracy and the rule of law remain at the heart of our societies.

Read more: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/first-council-of-europe-strategy-for-equal-rights-of-lgbti-people-adopted-new-report-on-anti-lgbti-hate-speech-released

REMINDER
We're holding a community protest this lunchtime at the Turkish Embassy on Raglan Road to voice our anger at the arrests of 162 LGBTQ+ community workers across Türkiye ten days ago.
Please join us from 12:45pm and raise your voice in objection.

We hope you can join us.
Labour LGBTQ+ is calling on everyone who can to attend our protest at the Turkish Embassy at 12:45pm this Wednesday, 23 September.
Everyone is welcome.

Under President Erdogan, Turkiye has become a much more hostile place for the LGBTQ+ community.
While it's not illegal to be LGBTQ+ in Turkiye, the country has a lot of laws that severely limit the rights and protections for its LGBTQ+ citizens.

The raids this week are just the latest assault on three human rights of its citizens. We're going to use our voice to stand against this cruelty.

The address for the embassy is 8 Raglan Road, Dublin 4, D04 EA36.

On behalf of the Labour Party LGBTQ+ Executive Committee, we wish to condemn the police raids on LGBTQ+ spaces and organisations that happened across Istanbul and Ankara on Sunday, 13 September.
At last count, police forces have so far arrested more than 160 people.
Their targets include organisations that are providing healthcare services to people living with HIV, community spaces, and private homes.
It is clear to us that the Turkish government’s “My Family is Safe” campaign is specifically meant to be used as back up for their claims of child indoctrination and endangerment by a “deviant movement” and “perverts” according to President Erdogan. This is yet another part of a continuing campaign to scapegoat LGBTQ+ people for political gain.
This is fed by the anti-LGBTQ+ community groups, and it reinforces their rhetoric, which has gained popularity, particularly in the last five years. Istanbul banned Pride marches in 2015, and people attempting to protest for LGBTQ+ rights and protections are targeted by law