diff --git a/core/irc.py b/core/irc.py
index b14c828..5a3ccae 100755
--- a/core/irc.py
+++ b/core/irc.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ def decode(txt):
 
 
 def censor(text):
+    text = text.decode('ascii', 'replace')
     replacement = '[censored]'
     if 'censored_strings' in bot.config:
         words = map(re.escape, bot.config['censored_strings'])