The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) was one of over 1,000 contributors to the 2020 public consultation on hate crime legislation in Northern Ireland. In its submission, PCI said that efforts should be made to ensure that finding a way forward on hate crime does not become a precursor to curtailing legitimate debate or the exploration of differences of opinion in a constructive and positive way.

While the Church continues to encourage gracious and informed discussion about how the moral and religious diversity, which characterises contemporary society, can best be achieved, it condemned unlawful acts that seek to bully and intimidate.

PCI’s submission is available to read here.

On 28 August 2020 PCI's public affairs officer, Karen Jardine, wrote an opinion piece for the News Letter on PCI's submission to the Independent Review. Entitled 'Striking the right balance', she said that ‘finding a way forward on hate crime should not become a precursor to curtailing genuine debate…’ Karen concludes by emphasising the importance of getting any legislation as right as possible, ‘achieving a balance which both protects the vulnerable and facilitates respectful debate.’ You can read the opinion piece here.