Should racist insults be illegal? [View all]
In the land from which I come we have hate speech laws that try to ensure that any expressions of hatred towards someone based on their sexuality, race, colour, ethnic origin or religion, to name but a few, are against the law. If the police determine that a communication is abusive, threatening or insulting and the person’s intention with the communication is to alarm, harass or distress someone then the person doing the insulting is in a whole heap of trouble. They can be criminally prosecuted under several different statutes and for the most egregious of offences people can go to jail for up to 7 years. Just this week a chap was sent to jail for 5 years for daubing racial slurs on a neighbour’s garage.
These laws were implemented to protect the minority from the majority. On the whole they work well. In the States you, of course, have the First Amendment, giving any hate filled bastard the freedom to say whatever the hell he wants irrespective of the outcome of his words.
How far should ‘free speech’ be allowed to go? It may allow an individual the right to be a verbose self righteous pontificating racist arse, but should people not also have the right to be protected from the potential outcomes of said racist pontificating?
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