Hate Crime – These Are Not Random Attacks.
It was a regular Friday evening in the late summer of 2020 when an innocent woman was stripped of her human rights and dignity by a group of teenage boys in Dublin. Xeudan Xiong, a 48 year old Asian women was verbally abused by a gang of teens who shouted cruel insults at her such as ‘coronavirus’ and ‘chinese noodles’.
The emotionally exhausted woman decided to fight back and told the boys what they were doing was a form of racial discrimination and that they should stop, but matters only took a turn for the worst. They laughed back at the woman and could see she was incredibly intimidated by boys far younger than her.
The emotionally exhausted woman decided to fight back and told the boys what they were doing was a form of racial discrimination and that they should stop, but matters only took a turn for the worst. They laughed back at the woman and could see she was incredibly intimidated by boys far younger than her.
They pushed her into the canal and left her there screaming, the woman believed these boys could have been as young as 12 years of age. She was helped by three people who past her and managed to get herself out of the canal. Due to the age of the boys it was unlikely they would face criminal punishment for what they had done.
Maybe you have heard of this extremely upsetting story, or maybe you have heard of stories similar. Events such as these are taking place all over Ireland, and it’s about time we really did something about it.
Hate crime is defined as any crime that is perceived to be motivated by:
– Age
– Colour
– Age
– Race
– Disability
– Nationality
– Religion
– Sexual orientation
– Gender
Hate crime can range from hateful messages and verbal abuse to manslaughter and murder, and the consequences are horrible to think about.
You are probably thinking my god! Those boys that pushed that woman into the canal should be charged for their actions, or the people shouting abuse at people of a different nationality, gender, members of the LGBTQ should be punished for the emotional distress they put upon others? We at LawEd agree, but unfortunately, Ireland does not have any specific legislation to deal with hate crime, so very few people are actually convicted!
Although bills are being passed and legislation is being created to make hate crime more of a serious offence, it is also up to us as citizens of Ireland, to make this country a welcoming and safe environment for every individual that chooses to live or visit here. To pick on someone for any of the reasons above is a very cowardly way to live life, and belittling people for things they cannot control reflects more about you than it does of anyone else in the situation.
Doxxing – It’s Scarier Than You Think
Life online is constantly changing and although this is a great thing and there are many benefits and plenty of opportunities to come from the internet, we cannot forget about the darker side of the world wide web that is increasing the levels of crime and harassment, just over the keyboard instead of face to face.
Are you aware of what doxxing is? Do you know the consequences of it? What it can do to a person? We’re here to teach you.
Doxxing is an abbreviation of ‘dropping dox’, this occurs when someone digs up information or documents about a person and uses them with the intent to cyberbully, exploit or harass someone. Scary right? It gets worse. It’s NOT illegal.
Doxxing used to be a term only used amongst high profile hackers who did this kind of thing as a job, but unfortunately now, personal information of any online users on this planet is very accessible to just about anyone, so you don’t have to be a hacker to carry out the crime of doxxing.
We are very much becoming a technologically advanced world, and we actually do not have as much control over our personal data as we might think. Anyone with enough motive can get what they are looking for online.
Some of the ways of being able to stalk online and receive info you probably don’t even realise you’re giving away are:
– Stalking social media – have you posted a cute photo
of your coffee date with friends? Maybe turn the location
off! By leaving the map of where you are on, you are
enabling anyone that wants to, to follow your every move.
-Having the same username for everything – using the same name on everything can make for a very aesthetic social media profile, but you are allowing people online to build up tons of info about you because you are so easily found online!
– Connecting to unstable WiFi addresses – want to use the free WiFi in the shopping centre while you’re waiting for the bus? Please don’t! This WiFi is more than likely not secure, and hackers can worm their way in to get everything on your phone, even financial details.
Here’s a list of the A list celebs that have been doxxed (the ones we are aware of anyway!)
– Kim Kardashian
– Beyonce and her husband JayZ
– Donald Trump
– Lady Gaga
– Britney Spears
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
– Tiger Woods
The moral of this blog post is to watch what you do online, think again before posting, is this something someone out there could use against you? Do you really want the world to know this about you? Here at LawEd, we strive to protect YOU, and doxxing online is something everyone should be aware of, so we can avoid online harassment and stalking.
PUBLIC ORDER OFFENCES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
Hey all, we hope you are enjoying the summer break! Here at LawEd, we wanted to keep you up to date with all things law. Below we have our blog post about Public Order Offences and how they affect you. Have a read!
What springs to mind when the term Public Order is put to you? Do you associate it with violent police brutality? A strict regime put in place by the government? Reckless teens causing havoc on your local streets? Drunken punters leaving the pub with one too many? Or does your brain simply go blank because what has public order got to do with you, right? Well, quite frankly public order has a great deal to do with the public, and that definitely includes you!
Public Order is something that everyone should be aware of as it relates to the regulation of all our behaviour while on public property. It refers to how citizens act on any public grounds, think your local supermarket, public park and even the main road by your house! People are expected to act in a suitable manner in line with the environment they find themselves in, and the concept of Public Order is used to ensure this is enforced. Although an Garda Siochana have some responsibility to contain the actions of others, the majority of control rests with the citizens themselves, so act responsibly!
So, what can you do to make sure you aren’t breaching any rules of public order? Well first, know what they are! Public Order offences include the following:
- Being drunk in a public place
- Disorderly conduct in public
- Threatening or insulting behaviour
- Being intimidating or threatening
- Wilful obstruction
- Trespassing
- Rioting
- Blackmail
- Assault
- Loitering
The list goes on and on, educate yourself further on how even you could potentially be breaking the law! Want to know the do’s and don’t’s while on public grounds? Luckily for you, LawEd is here to help, keep reading!
DON’T:
– Hang around streets with no real motive to do anything: I know you may want to hang with friends for a bit and have nowhere to go, so meeting outside shops and other buildings might seem like a good idea, however, you are more than likely getting in the way of other people that actually want to run their errands! Be mindful of others and plan to meet friends in a more private setting.
– Have one too many before the pub closes: manage your drinks on nights out appropriately! No one likes being a drunken fool when the nights over, in fact, its illegal! Grab your bag of chips and go home! This way you can escape the beer fear and a potential penalty from the guards.
DO:
– Deal with the guards in a respectful manner: The guards are there to help you and reduce the risk of crime on the streets. If you happen to come into contact with them, keep a cool head and cooperate – you will make life a lot easier for everyone involved!
– Educate yourself: Know what’s an offence and what isn’t. As a citizen, it is your duty to know how to behave in public at all times, and even if you’re breaking a law you didn’t know existed, you will still be charged! Not knowing is no excuse, so learn the law.
Thanks for reading! If you would like to find more information about what we do, check out www.lawed.ie where you can enroll into one of our online law courses
Essay Writing Competition Winners
We are thrilled to announce the winners of our inaugural essay writing competition proudly sponsored by DAC Beachcroft as;
- Shane O’Connor from Abbey Secondary School, Tipperary Town
- Bianca Gousws from Presentation Secondary School, Clonmel
- Megan Boland from Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles
