No such line can or should be drawn. “Hate speech” is an inherently subjective concept that can only be defined in accord with the principles and priorities of the person charged with the responsibility of defining it. In practice, “hate speech” laws are used to silence speech that those in power want silenced. Also, the consistent practice of Islamic and Leftist groups of labeling as “hate speech” all honest discussion of how Islamic jihadis use the texts and teachings of Islam to justify violence and supremacism means that if “hate speech” laws are enacted, such discussion will be criminalized. In that event, Islamic jihadis will be able to operate unopposed, for to say anything against them will be “hate speech.”
“Imam of Al Noor Mosque calls for new hate speech laws,” RNZ, September 25, 2020 (thanks to Henry):
The imam of Al Noor Mosque has called for new laws that “draw a clear line between freedom of speech and hate speech”.
At Thursday’s unveiling of a plaque commemorating the victims of the 15 March terror attacks in Christchurch, Gamal Fouda says New Zealand needs to lead the world in enacting new legislation to “protect all followers of any faith from intolerance and hatred, and prohibit incitement against any faith and race”.
“In many occasions, freedom of speech becomes hate speech and hence turns into hate crime as we have seen it in 15th March terror attack,” he says.
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern says current legislation already has provisions in place to deal with hate speech and discrimination of people with different identities, but religion was not included in it.
“My view is that does need to change and that would be our plan if we were privileged to form government again.”
Labour had not been able to deliver that law change in the last term.
“No-one should be discriminated for their religion and so it makes sense that we add this to the suite of other things that we say it is just not okay to discriminate [against] people over,” Ardern says.
“The Human Rights Commission did a piece of work around the Human Rights Act making sure that we codify across a range of areas where you should not, cannot discriminate – religion should be added to that.”
Asked if laws needed to be made stronger to make sure hate speech was a crime, Ardern said there were “already provisions in parts of the criminal justice code to treat hate speech as an exacerbating factor if that forms the basis of a crime”….