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Lorraine Higgins and John Whelan

Senator cracks down on cyberbullying after being told she'd be 'hatcheted in the face'

Lorraine Higgins was also told she should have been aborted.

SENATOR LORRAINE HIGGINS has published plans to make cyberbullying and sending online threats a criminal offence.

The bill would make it an offence to share any message that incites someone to self-harm or take their own life. Higgins said this issue would be decided on a case by case basis in court.

If found guilty, a person would face up 12 months in jail, or a fine of €5,000.

Higgins, who is a barrister, has been the subject of online abuse including two death threats (one involving a hatchet) – of which she has made gardaí aware. Some of her family members have also been threatened, including a “deeply disturbing reference” to her mother.

In November, she deleted her public Facebook page after being told she “should have been aborted”.

Higgins said legislation like this is “necessary in order to keep our online social media platforms a safe and decent place for everyone to discuss ideas, debate and whatnot”.

She said it’s “unfortunate that politics has descended into this” but she is “thick-skinned”.

After going public with her experience, Higgins said young people came to her to tell her examples of cyberbullying of their own.

Higgins said she is “absolutely intent on bringing forward a piece of legislation that will protect people, not just politicians but to protect vulnerable people and children”.

The Labour Senator was sharply critical of social media outlets, accusing them of “shirking their responsibility”. She said Facebook never responded to a complaint she made to them.

They’ve no difficulty in communicating with Oireachtas members or agencies of this state when they’re seeking to avail of our corporation tax rate but yet when it comes to responsibiltiy or their users they totally shirk that.

She said Communications Minister Alex White is “broadly supportive” of the bill, and she welcomes debate on the issue and amendments proposed by both government and the opposition.

Political football

Higgins added that the issue was “apolitical” and “shouldn’t be used as a political football”.

Also speaking at the launch, fellow Labour Senator John Whelan said social media “should not be held to lesser standards that the traditional media”. He described the bill as a “work in progress” and “the start of a process for holding people to account”.

023 Bullying Bill Launch copy Labour Senators Ivana Bacik, Lorraine Higgins and John Whelan at today's launch. graphy: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland graphy: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Labour has been quite busy on this issue of late, with former Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte introducing a separate bill that will make it an offence for “a person to send, or cause to be sent, by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or menacing in character”.

At present Irish laws only ban sending abusive messages over the telephone.

Rabbitte said the bill “will close a loophole” in legislation, support victims of abuse and   “strengthen the capacity of the Garda Síochana to deal with reports of offences”.

He said Higgins’ bill is “more comprehensive”, adding: “I hope that, after due consideration, Senator Higgins’s Bill progresses through the Seanad with all-party support.”

Originally published: 13.53

Related: Labour Senator deletes Facebook page after being told she ‘should have been aborted’

Read: Erin Gallagher’s teenage sister found dead last night

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    Mute Not_Rod_Ten©
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:06 PM

    All those dinosaurs will have died for nothing if the electric car wins

    42
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    Mute M
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:12 PM

    Ok explain.

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    Mute Not_Rod_Ten©
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:19 PM

    The self sacrifice of those great extinct animals and plants will be in vain if I can’t use them to power my V8

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    Mute George Salter
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:06 PM

    Off by a couple of hundred million years. Good effort though…

    5
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    Mute new phone who dis?
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    Jan 5th 2016, 11:56 AM

    This is how far technology has come yet I still can’t get a text back…

    33
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    Mute Beachmaster
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:12 PM

    2018….. Consumers being warned about Chinese cars catching fire while charging.

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    Mute Cathal McDonald
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    Jan 5th 2016, 11:56 AM

    It looks shite

    19
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    Mute GameOverMan
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:47 PM

    Another totally impractical space-age design that we’ll never see on the roads. Why do we keep dreaming up this kind of car? Surely by now we know that the futuristic look is just a sci-fi fantasy.

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    Mute John Collins
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:46 PM

    Looks rubbish. Old cars are way better.

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    Mute Edward Cullen
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:51 PM

    Nothing in the article about power or weight.

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    Mute Dean Anderson
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:56 PM

    Oh yeah this car will be a runaway success definitely. It’ll be up there with the DeLorean in no time at all. Wow I cant wait to buy one it looks so practical and cool and everyone is gonna want one. This is definitely a red letter day in motoring history… zzzzzz

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    Mute bacoxy
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:02 PM

    Faraday so close!

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    Mute Wilson I'mSorry
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:45 PM

    A hidden front for VW perhaps

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    Mute Gary
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:36 PM

    We have Faraday future and Tesla electric, will it be Volta or Maxwell next, or maybe Ampere, Gauss, Coulomb or Davy.

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    Mute dowthebow
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:51 PM

    Already have the volt, mitsi I think

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    Mute Uncle Denise
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:10 PM

    That tail looks great on the car

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    Mute Mark Sheridan
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    Jan 5th 2016, 12:58 PM

    There show casing things that they will use on there everyday cars when production starts. I think the phone in the steering wheel is a very simple but great idea. Some cars these days are like a cockpit of an airplane with that many buttons, climate control, Music system’s, GPS and god knows what else. Most of which is already on a smartphone in one way or another and usually people with them know how to use them.

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    Mute reece plunkett
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    Jan 6th 2016, 3:08 AM

    Good luck getting that over the ramps in ireland

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 5th 2016, 4:13 PM

    I’m just waiting for the apple i-car to be released.

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