In a most bizarre turn of events, the Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) which is supposed to uphold peoples rights in Ireland is actively campaigning to remove the right to protest in Ireland.
The right to peaceful protest is a worldwide human right in democracies around the world.
But in Ireland, the very NGO whose own website claims they represent “human rights, protect civil liberties, recover them where they have been removed, and enlarge them where they have been diminished” is now campaigning to ban peaceful protests outside abortion centres.
No, were not making this up!
According to their press release the Irish Council for Civil Liberties wants to make it illegal to peacefully protest outside abortion centres. They state;
“ICCL began calling for safe access zones in 2019 when it became apparent anti-choice (pro-life) pickets were affecting the right to healthcare (abortion)”
In the ICCL Press release the ICCL say “ICCL is a staunch supporter of the right to protest. We fully support the rights of anti-choice (pro-life) people to express their views to policy makers and the wider public. BUT THE RIGHT TO PROTEST CAN BE LIMITED in very specific circumstances to protect the rights of others.
We note that ICCL call the Prolife community “Anti-Choice”, a clear sign of institutional bias within the Irish Council of Civil Liberties. The Pro-life community identify as Pro-life, not anti-choice or anti-abortion.
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