From China to UK universities, the Taliban to Trump, it seems that everyone is talking about censorship. Threats to freedom of speech are now recognisable in everything from legislative crackdowns and online bans to Twitter pile-ons and public cancellations. But figuring out where this censorious turn has come from is not as simple as it seems. Proponents of free speech argue that claims of ‘hate speech’ involving issues like transgender rights, racism, feminism or other forms of identity politics are silencing debate. Many argue that the subjective nature of what is deemed to be ‘hateful’ can lead to unfair characterisations of political debate as hate speech. For example: in February, Merseyside police parked outside an Asda supermarket with an advan warning shoppers that ‘being offensive is an offence’.
Oct 2021. The Battle of Ideas
