The censorious political left and free speech

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Unfortunately, denying that something exists doesn't stop it from existing.

It is something that cannot be defined. It doesn't exist. Can't lock people up for offending others. That's insane.

Hate speech isn't "being offensive". I would agree that would be an immensely damaging law.

The first "hate speech law" in the UK was the Public Order Act 1986. This says that a person is guilty of "inciting racial hatred" if 1) they do or say something "threatening, abusive, or insulting", AND 2) they intend to stir racial hatred, or "having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is likely to be stirred up thereby."

Obviously you could sub out "racial" for other terms to get definitions of other forms of hate speech.

I think that's quite a good definition, although the "having regard to all the circumstances" clause is woolly enough to potentially cause issues. People like Abu Hamza or Anjem Choudary who deliberately try and stir hatred should be imprisoned.

Nothing "insulting" should ever be a crime. Free speech gives everyone the right to offend. Actually inciting violence as in calling for violence is debatable as the person has responsibility for their own actions. Only a threat should be taken seriously and punished appropriately.

Isn't it inevitable? There will always be tyrants. When you kill one tyrants he'll be replaced by another. The one way you can be free from tyranny is to be the tyrant. Tyrants are the only truly free people in the world. The only people who can do anything they want without worrying about the law. Until they get killed and replaced.

It's usually those who don't agree politically with speech laws, have any questions with the whole gender-bathroom or related issues to that, or any other cause associated with the "left" today who get automatically shunned from opportunities and being shot down for trying to stand up.

They are more worrying of concern than the religious right or nationalists.