Letter to Party Leaders and Justice Spokespersons
Dear Party Leader / Justice Spokesperson,
My name is Sean Treacy, freelance journalist – OnlineNews.ie.
I am writing to ask your party to consider supporting the introduction of a Racism Allegation Verification Bill, establishing clear standards for the making, reporting and publication of allegations of racism. Irish people regularly hear politicians, particularly party leaders, speaking in the Dáil and elsewhere about “racism in Ireland” and describing incidents as “racist”. Yet, in many instances, the specific conduct being referred to, the evidence supporting the allegation, and whether the matter has actually been established are not clearly identified.
There is an important distinction between identifying and condemning a specific racist act and making broad statements about “Ireland” or Irish society being racist. If an allegation is genuine, serious and supported by evidence, then surely there should be little difficulty in identifying the conduct, producing the evidence and allowing it to be independently scrutinised. Indeed, given how frequently racism is discussed in the Dáil and in Irish political debate, one might reasonably ask:
Why would any political party oppose a “Racism Allegation Verification Bill”?
If the evidence exists, verification should simply confirm it. If an allegation has been properly established, the legislation would provide a clear record of that fact. And if an allegation has not been established, surely the public deserves to know that too. I am not suggesting that racism should not be confronted. Quite the opposite. Serious allegations deserve serious evidential standards.
What should not happen is for an allegation concerning a particular individual or incident to become, through political or institutional language, a generalised characterisation of Ireland or the Irish population without clearly identifying the evidence upon which that broader characterisation is based.
I am proposing legislation which would require that, where racism or discriminatory conduct is publicly alleged:
- the specific conduct relied upon is identified;
- the evidential source is identified, subject to legitimate confidentiality protections;
- an allegation is clearly distinguished from an established finding;
- documentary evidence is retained and capable of independent verification;
- criminal allegations are reported consistently with the outcome of the relevant legal process;
- an appropriate right of response is provided; and
- materially inaccurate information is corrected or withdrawn.
The same principles should apply to information supplied to Irish, European and international institutions. Unverified allegations should not become incorporated into official reports and subsequently be treated as established facts.
I have raised related concerns regarding the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) Ireland Page and the processes by which information concerning Ireland is gathered and incorporated into international reporting.
My article, “The Vienna Files – 27 Countries. ECRI Reports – IRELAND PAGE – A Closed Shop”, is available here:
I am continuing research into ECRI, the organisations and funding involved in the Irish process, and the development of the Ireland Page. A further article and podcast series will follow.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) records identify Lattanzio KIBS, an Italian business, as the contractor responsible for research associated with the Ireland Country Report. I have contacted Lattanzio KIBS and have been informed that the company was not involved in the 2025 Council of Europe report. This is very strange as Lattanzio KIBS has a four year contract with a yearly payment of approximately €130.000 euro for four years since 2022. So why were they not involved in the report, what became of the money? They will not answer this question.
If racism is considered sufficiently serious and important to be repeatedly debated in the Dáil, why would there be any objection to legislation requiring that allegations of racism be properly identified, evidenced, verified and distinguished from established findings?
I am asking your party for a clear position:
1. Would you support legislation establishing evidential and verification standards for public allegations of racism?
2. Do you agree that politicians and public institutions should identify the specific conduct and evidence when describing an incident as racist?
3. Do you agree that describing a particular incident as racist should not automatically become a generalised characterisation of Ireland or the Irish population?
4. Do you support a formal right of response and correction where serious allegations are published or incorporated into official reports?
5. Do you support greater transparency concerning the evidence and sources used when information about Ireland is submitted to European and international institutions?
I would be interested in receiving a clear answer to that question rather than a general statement about the importance of combating racism. The public has a right to expect political leaders to take allegations of racism seriously. Equally, the public has a right to expect accuracy, evidence and accountability when the term “racism” is used, particularly when statements may affect the reputation of individuals, organisations or the country as a whole.
Important example:There is also a particularly important example in the recent Garda hate-crime statistics. An Garda Síochána reported 780 hate crimes and hate-related incidents in 2025, comprising 688 recorded hate crimes and 92 hate-related non-crime incidents. That figure is frequently capable of being presented publicly simply as “780 hate crimes”, when that is not what the Garda statistics actually say.
The distinction between a report or recorded incident, an allegation that has been investigated, an opportunity for a right of reply, a crime that has been formally established, a prosecution and an actual conviction is fundamental. However, based on the information available to me, I understand that only four convictions have been recorded in connection with the reported figures. If that figure is correct, it raises an obvious question as to whether the public is being given sufficient clarity about the substantial difference between incidents being reported or recorded and offences being established through the criminal justice process.
A recorded allegation or incident is not proof that the alleged conduct occurred, still less proof that an individual was guilty of an offence. Garda statistics themselves distinguish between hate crimes and hate-related non-crime incidents. The same can be said for other agency providing unproven figures from online reporting systems. This illustrates precisely why I am proposing a Racism Allegation Verification Bill. If public bodies and politicians are going to use statistics concerning racism and hate crime in public debate, the public should be told exactly what the figures represent.
Otherwise, there is a real danger that reports become incidents, incidents become crimes, crimes become convictions, and allegations ultimately become presented as established facts.
That is not a semantic distinction. It is the difference between reporting what has been alleged or recorded and reporting what has actually been established. If the figures are robust, properly defined and capable of independent verification, then there should be no objection to requiring politicians, public bodies and institutions to describe them accurately.
Indeed, this brings me back to the central basis of this letter:
The obvious introduction of a Racism Allegation Verification Bill
I would appreciate a substantive response by 1st October 2026, so that your party’s position can be accurately reflected in my forthcoming articles.
Please also provide the contact details of your designated media spokesperson or Justice spokesperson for any follow-up questions.
Yours sincerely,
Sean Treacy
Freelance Journalist
OnlineNews.ie
