Victims of hate speech are often powerless to respond

Hate speech ignores victims’ ability to respond There is one vital point that James Allan ignores: the power relationship between abuser and victim (”These elitist hate-speech laws erode democracy”, March 3). SMH, 4 Mar 14

His naive claim that the victim can respond by saying why the abuser is wrong ignores the fact that shock-jocks or other media commentators, without such laws, are free to trade in insults without allowing their victims any opportunity to respond. Nor will a racist on a bus, screaming abuse. What would he be prepared to do to enforce the right of reply?

Ron Pretty Farmborough Heights

James Allan claims that the proof that hate speech laws don’t work is that the US doesn’t have them and Canada got rid of them, while France and Germany do have them and look at how horrible it is there.

This is a red herring. In reality, the US has multiple hate speech laws – mostly workplace or campus-based. Canada repealed one federal provision, but still has many state and federal hate speech laws on the books. Two other countries that have them are Australia and New Zealand, arguably the most successful multicultural experiments in the world.

In fact, Professor Allan would struggle to think of a country which has been successful at absorbing immigrants which doesn’t have hate speech laws – and there is a reason for that.

In countries like Australia, the community needs to send a strong message that racist vitriol is unwelcome. That is why we have laws against it………http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/hate-speech-ignores-victims-ability-to-respond-20140303-340gg.html

March 4, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News

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