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Arguments Against Hate Speech

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The controversy surrounding hate speech is immense. In turn, the question of whether hate speech should be a criminal offence, or if it imposes on freedom of speech is something that is often debated upon. On one side, you have people stating that they should be able to express whatever they wish, and on the other people argue that there needs to be restrictions. Hate speech is something that can cause significant harm to groups and individuals. For this reason, hate speech needs to be a criminal offence to ensure that no individual and/or group is harmed.
Some people may be under the misconception thinking hate speech that can do no harm more than hurt feelings, but this is not the case. Posters that contain hate speech send a clear message …show more content…

Freedom of speech is something many people point out as being taken away from us when hate speech laws are imposed. This causes many people to argue against hate speech laws. However, it is important to keep in mind that the definitions of words can vary, which is why it’s important to define them. Seglow addressed this by stating that he takes “a broad view of what constitutes hate speech” (Seglow 1104). When I talk about hate speech, I talk about it to the only when it causes harm to an individual. The Canadian Charter says that all the rights and freedoms in the Charter can be subject “to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society” (Waldron 13). When someone says that hate speech laws are taking away their human rights, they are overlooking this fact. Hate speech is one that falls under this category putting a “reasonable limit” to freedom of speech. If the question arises between an individual/groups safety over someone being able to have the freedom of speech, someone’s safety holds more importance. Hate speech needs to be a criminal offence in order to prevent the violation of other human rights. These violations can include what Seglow mentioned that hate speech can lead to other violations caused by things such as harassment (1104). Hate speech laws do not prohibit hate speech in private, but only does so in public (Saskatchewan v. Whatcott, 2013). An individual is still allowed to express themselves in speech without any restrictions at all in private, and the restrictions on public speech are very limited as

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