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Ralph J Hodosh's avatar

Another problem with banning "hate speech" is that it could force the police to escalate tense situations. For example, when a police presence is what is needed to keep a crowd under control, would we want the police to wade into the crowd to make arrests for "hate speech"?

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Terry M.'s avatar

Hate speech should not drive this discussion. It is poorly defined and hard to apply.

But what this aggressor did was real and revolting. IT should be the focus here. You do not have to be a right winger to be offended by it. Or to understand that people in that community would react badly to it. It was isolated but prone to be seen as a manifestation of social ills.

Slow down, catch breath, investigate further. Trust the authorities to investigate properly. That final step is the hardest to execute and therein lies the problem.

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