Kildare County Council commits to anti-discrimination
The motion followed an election pledge as part of the #CheckTheFacts campaign by LGBTQ group Belong To
AT its February meeting Kildare County Council passed a motion to commit to eliminate discrimination and “promote equality of opportunity, and protect the human rights of its members, staff, and the persons to whom it provides services".
The motion was jointly brought by Social Democrats councillors Peter Melrose and Chris Pender, formally stating that “the council affirms its commitment to eliminate discrimination, and provides training for staff and elected members on, Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014, which seeks to eliminate discrimination”.
The motion followed an election pledge as part of the #CheckTheFacts campaign by LGBTQ group Belong To, which was developed by the youth organisation in response to the increase in misinformation and disinformation, and the contribution of both to the erosion of human rights, both in Ireland and internationally.
A total of 313 local election candidates pledged to use factual and accurate information during their election campaign, and during their term if elected as councillor. 131 of the signatories to the pledge were elected to their local council.
In May 2024, an Garda Síochána published its annual figures on hate crimes in Ireland showing a 12 per cent increase in the number of reported hate crimes and hate-related incidents, while the European Digital Media Observatory reported in 2023 that the LGBTQ+ community is one of the most consistent victims of mis- and disinformation in the EU.
“I’m delighted that this motion, having been seconded by my colleague, cllr Chris Pender, passed with the full support of Kildare County Council,” said cllr Melrose.
“We are all unfortunately aware that we are living through an age of disinformation, where individuals and organisations hide behind online anonymity while stoking fear, hatred and ridicule of the minority groups in our society.
“We have also seen these harmful narratives spill out into real world violence against minorities. Motions like these can help to educate people and serve as a bulwark against such online and offline attacks."
