Hate crimes “impact the entire community” they are aimed at, according to LGBT Ireland.
There was a 12% increase in hate crimes in Ireland last year, with 548 incidents recorded by Gardaí.
The most common motivation for such crimes was race (36%), followed by nationality (18%) and sexual orientation (16%).
On The Hard Shoulder today, LGBT Ireland Policy and Research Manager Padraig Rice said these stats reflect the “lived reality” of those in his community.
“It was a 12% increase this year and 29% the year before; we’re seeing this rise year on year and it’s really worrying,” he said.
“It needs a robust response; we need to see the Government responding to these statistics from the Gardaí.
“We’re particularly calling for them to enact the criminal justice and incitement to violence or hatred bill as a matter of urgency – this can’t go on any longer.”
Mr Rice said a hate crime against one member of the LGBT community affects them all.
“It makes us feel unsafe because of who we are, that’s what makes hate crimes so worrying is the wider impact on the community,” he said.
He also said hate crime is on the rise thanks to people sowing “division and hate” online.
“We’re now seeing that only hate spill over into real life and social media has played a big role in that,” said Mr Rice.
“The other thing is there is a legacy of homophobia and transphobia in Irish society and it hasn’t gone away.
“It was a crime to be gay in 1993 which is within our lifetime and that leaves a long lifetime, there are historical issues.”
Hate crime
Black and Irish founder Leon Diop said people can recover from hate crimes physically, but not mentally.
“In one incident I saw, a man was hurling racist abuse at children outside a garda station and he was given a ten-week jail sentence,” he said.
“Those kids will remember that incident for the rest of their lives but that person was out of jail in weeks and able to continue with their lives.
“I remember every incident of racism I’ve encountered to a very high detail because it has a big impact on you.”
Prevention
Mr Diop said children should learn more about racism from a young age.
“For me, prevention is better than a cure,” he said.
“We need to address the issue of racism with people from a younger age, working with schools.
“I think having conversations with young people about what racism is, how it can arise and talking about its impacts would be a great help.”
Some 44% of all hate-related incidents in Ireland last year occurred in the Dublin region.
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