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PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970

PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970 -
LONG TITLE

An Act to impose penalties for incitement to hatred and for the
circulation of certain false statements or false reports; and for
purposes connected therewith.
[2nd July 1970]
Incitement to hatred.

PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970 -
SECT 1

1. A person shall be guilty of an offence under this Act if, with
intent to stir up hatred against, or arouse fear of, any section
of the public in Northern Ireland

(a)he publishes or distributes written or other matter which is
threatening, abusive or insulting; or

(b)he uses in any public place or at any public meeting words
which are threatening, abusive or insulting;

Circulation of false statements or reports.

PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970 -
SECT 2

2. A person shall be guilty of an offence under this Act if, with
intent to provoke a breach of the peace whether immediately or at
any time thereafter, he publishes or circulates in any way
whatsoever any statement or report which he knows to be false or
does not believe to be true, being a statement or report likely to
stir up hatred against, or arouse fear of, any section of the
public in Northern Ireland on grounds of religious belief, colour,
race or ethnic or national origins.

PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970 -
SECT 3
Penalties.

3.(1) A person guilty of an offence under this Act shall be liable

(a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding
six months or to a fine not exceeding two hundred pounds, or both;

(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding one thousand pounds,
or both.

(2) ..., a prosecution for an offence under this Act shall not be
instituted except by or with the consent of the Attorney-General.

Subs.(3) rep. by 1975 c.59 s.14(5) sch.6 Pt.II

PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970 -
SECT 4
Interpretation.

4. In this Act

"meeting" means a meeting held for the purpose of the discussion of
matters of public interest or for the purpose of the expression of
views on such matters;

"public meeting" includes any meeting in a public place and any
meeting which the public or any section of the public are permitted
to attend whether on payment or otherwise;

"public place" includes any street, road or highway and any place
to which, for the time being, the public have or are permitted to
have access, whether on payment or otherwise;

"publish" and "distribute" mean publish or distribute to the public
at large or to any section of the public not consisting exclusively
of members of an association of which the person publishing or
distributing is a member;

"written matter" includes any writing, sign or visible representation.

PREVENTION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1970 -
SECT 5
Short title.

5. This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Incitement to Hatred
Act (Northern Ireland) 1970.