A last effort to save the traditional live-animal crib outside Dublin’s Mansion House will be made at a meeting of Dublin City Council tonight.

Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy of the Green Party last month announced the crib, which has been erected at Christmas outside the Manion House on Dawson Street since 1995, would be stood down this year.

Ms Conroy, a Green Party councillor said she intended to introduce a more “inclusive” winter wonderland-style experience, with choirs, sleighs and post boxes at the Mansion House in place of the nativity with live animals.

Her decision has drawn criticism from politicians from a number of parties as well as the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Government faced strong opposition from members of the public over plans to expand ‘hate’ crime and ‘hate’ speech laws, newly released documents show.

More than 3,600 submissions by letter or online from the public, elected representatives, political parties and academics were received ahead of Ministers last week approving a Bill intended to make prosecutions for hate speech and hate crimes easier.

People complained that the plans were an “interference” in freedom-of-speech entitlements, represented a “grave threat” to democracy and could be considered “Orwellian”.

The Department of Justice received 3,526 online survey responses, with a number stating that there should be “no limit” on free speech.

While the public were mostly against the proposals, the majority of submissions from politicians and academics agreed with the proposed new law.

The Foreign Minister of Germany, Annaleena Baerbock, has apologised for the removal of a historic crucifix from the venue of a meeting of G7 leaders.

The ‘Peace Hall’ in Münster is where a treaty marking the end of the Thirty Years war had been signed.

Ironically, Ms Baerbock chose the venue for its historic symbolism: “The Peace of Westphalia is a cradle of modern international law; it is where fundamental concepts such as the equality and sovereignty of states were negotiated for the very first time in a large peace agreement. We must preserve this heritage. That is why, in these difficult times, I very consciously chose this symbolic location for our meeting”.

According to the city of Münster, employees of the foreign office asked for the cross to be removed because people with different religious backgrounds were taking part in the G-7 meeting.

Faith leaders and opposition politicians had sharply criticised the move. The chairwoman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Annette Kurschus, called the step “completely incomprehensible, even verging on the grotesque”.

“The religious war was ended under this cross in the Friedenssaal in Münster and Europe was pacified with it,” says the theologian, who is also president of the Westphalian state church. The diocese of Münster also called the measure “incomprehensible” while the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims, Aiman ​​Mazyek, also expressed his puzzlement.

On Friday, Ms Baerbock issued an apology. “I’m very sorry,” she said, “The cross is part of the history of this place. I would have liked it if we hadn’t put it away.”

An Irish man whose surrogate triplets were detained in Kenya for two months has secured their release after paying almost €40,000 extra to a surrogacy agency on top of the originally agreed price of €50,000 for the surrogacy process. Commercial surrogacy is not allowed in most countries.

Mr O’Reilly and his partner were hit with additional costs when they went to collect the infants in Kenya in the days after their birth.

The partners, who did not have the funds, launched a high-profile public campaign to raise the money, with the public donating more than €36,000 to a gofundme campaign while Mr O’Reilly had to borrow another €2,900 from family.

He explained that his solicitor transferred some of the money to the surrogacy agency, but he also had to “hand over €20,000 cash” when he landed in Kenya.

“We had to pay them off, give cash to doctors and others, just to get our girls. It was the only way. The feeling to now have them home, it is unbelievable.”

Mr O’Reilly called for the Government to intervene to legislate for commercial surrogacy in Ireland.

“We are not the first couple for this to happen to and we won’t be the last,” he said.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the rights of a 20-year-old woman were violated when her parents forced her to have an abortion in 2010.

In the case S.F.K. v Russia, the court found that the forced abortion was “an egregious form of inhuman and degrading treatment which had not only resulted in a serious immediate damage to her health – that is the loss of her unborn child – but had also entailed long-lasting negative physical and psychological effects.”

The abortion was carried out in a public hospital despite the woman continuing to make clear to her parents and medical personnel that she wished to keep her baby. At the time, the police did not prosecute the parents because they determined that they were acting in their daughter’s best interest.

Commenting on the case, a spokesperson for the Pro-Life Campaign said the case “highlights the rarely talked about fact — that studies show that a significant number of all abortions performed are carried out against the wishes of the woman”.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said he “profoundly disagrees” with comments by a Kerry priest last weekend on sexual morality, but he respects his right to express them.

Fr Seán Sheehy last Sunday delivered a homily describing the promotion of abortion, same sex relationships and transgenderism as serious sins. He also condemned the free distribution of contraception to young people.

The retired priest was deputising in Listowel for parish priest Canon Declan O’Connor, before being taken off the roster by the Bishop of Kerry, Dr Ray Browne.

A spokesman for the Tánaiste said he “respects his [Fr Sheehy’s] right to express his religious beliefs freely”. He added that he “does not believe that gay people will go to hell for being who they are, nor does he believe that any man or woman can make such a judgment”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney also weighed in on the matter.

“I think they’re disgraceful comments, and I think they are a reflection on the person that made those comments rather than anything else and they should be withdrawn and there should be an apology,” he said.

Fr Sheehy made a number of outings on media yesterday defending his remarks including Radio Kerry, the RTE News at One, Joe Duffy’s Liveline, and Newstalk.

A refugee rights organisation has raised concern that exceptions to a proposed new hate speech law remain “overly broad”.

The group echoed a previous submission by Pavee Point objecting to an exception for ‘political discourse’ saying there had been ‘hate speech’ directed against Travellers and Roma people during elections.

This comes despite the new text of the bill, published last Friday evening, including a new, alternative test for alleged offences that will not require motive to be proved and is designed to make prosecutions easier to obtain.

The Bill does still allow a defence of “a reasonable and genuine contribution to literary, artistic, political, scientific, religious or academic discourse”.

Fiona Hurley, the policy manager of the refugee advocacy group, Nasc, told The Irish Times that these defences “remain overly broad”, adding, “It is unclear to us what constitutes political discourse.

“Will speech that would otherwise constitute incitement to hatred from anyone standing or signalling their intent to stand for any public office be exempted?” she asked.

A person who seeks to incite hatred against a person or group with one of the protected characteristics may be guilty of an offence which could carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Jailed school teacher Enoch Burke is to argue before the High Court he has been subject to “an egregious miscarriage of justice”.

In seeking a stay on proceedings brought against him by the Co Westmeath school employing him, he will claim he has been unconstitutionally and unlawfully subject to a disciplinary process for the expression of his religious belief. Burke is in prison for contempt of court.

In his court papers seeking the stay, Mr Burke disputes a statement of September 7th by one judge, Mr Justice Max Barrett, that the case “is not about transgenderism”. He also disputes a statement by another judge, Ms Justice Eileen Roberts, that there “is no attack on the defendant’s beliefs by the suspension”.

Mr Burke contends the High Court orders have effectively nullified the constitutional guarantees of freedom of conscience, freedom or religion and freedom of expression.

New legislation to combat ‘hate crime’ and ‘hate speech’ is expected to become law before the end of the year, the Government says. Critics say the law will restrict freedom of speech.

The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee published the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022, after securing Cabinet approval for the new legislation last week.

The new legislation will criminalise any ‘intentional’ or ‘reckless’ communication or behaviour that is deemed likely to incite violence or hatred against a person because they are associated with a protected characteristic. The penalty for this offence will be up to five years’ imprisonment.

The bill adds gender, including gender expression and identity, and disability to a list of protected characteristics which include race, colour, nationality, religion and sexual orientation. Gender is given no basis in biology in the law.

A number of changes have been made to the contents of the bill since the General Scheme was published in April 2021.

It now includes a general provision to protect genuine freedom of expression. However, it also includes a “demonstration test” for hate crimes to make it easier to secure prosecutions and convictions for crimes motivated by hate. This will be an additional/alternative test to the “motivation test” which is much harder to prove.

Protesters took to the streets in Dublin last Saturday to demand a further liberalisation of Ireland’s already radical abortion law.

Orla O’Connor, director of the National Women’s Council, said urgent reform is needed “to decriminalise abortion, remove the three-day wait period and the 12-week limit to enable abortion on request up to viability”, which is around the 24-week mark in pregnancy.

The march took place ten years after the death of Savita Halappanar and she was cited extensively by the pro-choice activists.

However, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilis Mulroy said it is “unfair and disingenuous” for the tenth anniversary of Ms Halappanavar’s death to see calls for “an even more extreme expansion of the Irish abortion law”.

“Whilst her tragic death was the result of medical oversight, it was not caused by the Eighth Amendment as campaigners for abortion have incessantly claimed,” she said.

“Mismanaged sepsis was the cause of Savita’s death, as backed up by several independent reports, and not the denial of an abortion.

“Ten years on from her death, it is highly inappropriate for campaigners and pro-abortion politicians to continue leaning on myths and mistruths to push for a radical expansion of Ireland’s already extreme abortion law.”