Regina Doherty: Europe Must Follow Coco's Law
Regina Doherty addresses online abuse and urges the European Commission to adopt measures like Ireland's Coco's Law to hold platforms accountable. She speaks directly to survivors, explains Ireland's legal change and asks why Europe is delaying action.
Regina Doherty challenges the European Commission to stop tolerating platforms that profit from abuse. She insists that what is illegal offline must be illegal online and asks why Europe is dragging its feet while Ireland has already acted.
Doherty highlights Ireland's response after the tragic death of Coco Fox and the campaign led by her mother, Jackie. She explains that Coco's Law made online abuse, harassment and exploitation a criminal offence and created real, tangible consequences for perpetrators.
Speaking directly to anyone who has been abused or attacked online, Doherty describes how digital harassment follows victims into their homes and pockets. She stresses the need for legal protections that reflect that reality and for platforms to take responsibility.
Doherty frames the debate as one of legal parity and platform accountability: if offline abuse is a crime, online abuse must be treated the same. Her address asks policymakers across Europe to consider Ireland's example and act to protect victims now.
Immediate call to the Commission
Regina Doherty challenges the European Commission to stop tolerating platforms that profit from abuse. She insists that what is illegal offline must be illegal online and asks why Europe is dragging its feet while Ireland has already acted.
Ireland's response and Coco's Law
Doherty highlights Ireland's response after the tragic death of Coco Fox and the campaign led by her mother, Jackie. She explains that Coco's Law made online abuse, harassment and exploitation a criminal offence and created real, tangible consequences for perpetrators.
The experience of survivors
Speaking directly to anyone who has been abused or attacked online, Doherty describes how digital harassment follows victims into their homes and pockets. She stresses the need for legal protections that reflect that reality and for platforms to take responsibility.
Implications for policy and public debate
Doherty frames the debate as one of legal parity and platform accountability: if offline abuse is a crime, online abuse must be treated the same. Her address asks policymakers across Europe to consider Ireland's example and act to protect victims now.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Billy Kelleher
Billy Kelleher: End Fossil Fuel Ransom, Back Renewables
Conor Sheehan
Conor Sheehan: Scheme 'Designed to Fail' - Demands Review
Holly Cairns
Holly Cairns: Four Years of Delay on Short‑Term Lets
Marie Sherlock
Marie Sherlock: Gobsmacked by Ireland's Radiotherapy Crisis
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Redress Scheme Spreads Injustice East
Charles Ward
Charles Ward: When will side-by-side rebuilds start?
Transcript
Thank you President, I want to speak directly to anybody who has ever been abused or attacked online and unfortunately there's far too many, but I want you to know that we see you, but we also clearly see the need to protect you. When I was a kid, when you got home at least the bullying stopped. Now it follows you into your home, into your bedroom, into your pocket, into your thoughts. There's literally no escape from it and the truth is, some of the people in this house don't want to admit, we all should want to see what's illegal offline, illegal online, full stop. Ireland didn't wait. After the tragic death of Coco Fox and the relentless courage of her mother Jackie, who you all met last month, we acted and we brought in Coco's Law. We made it a crime to abuse, harass or exploit somebody online and now there are real, tangible consequences. So you have to ask the Commission, why is Europe still dragging its feet? Because right now our laws are not keeping up. Platforms cannot keep profiting from abuse while pretending they're powerless to stop it and we in Ireland have proven that this can be done. So the question now is, what's Europe waiting for?