European Centre for the Study of Hate

Figure 2 Launch of the Call IT Out campaign at University of Limerick, Ireland

UL is home to the European Centre for the Study of Hate (ECSH) which has been tackling the national and European policy issue of state responses to hate crime, the centre has been transformative in both a legal and civil society context. The aim of the European Centre for the Study of Hate is to understand the hate that excludes and divides, and provide the tools to respond to hate effectively.  An open, inclusive, and safe society for all is a core aim of the European project. This vision is under threat from the growing influence of those who wish to exclude minorities from society because of who they are or what they represent. Where hate is politicised, cultivated and spreads across borders, it makes the European way of life unattainable for minority communities.

Through their internationally relevant empirical scholarship, co-directors Prof Amanda Haynes and Prof Jennifer Schweppe have scientifically refuted the assertion of the State, showing that, not only is hate crime a serious issue in Ireland, but that the criminal justice process is ill-equipped to address it. Legislation has now been introduced by the government.  

Listen to an in-depth podcast Hate Crime on the Two Islands - Hosted by Jennifer Schweppe and Mark Walters (acast.com)

Find out more: https://www.ul.ie/ecsh