Freedom of Speech

This is what the right-wing fanatics yell when somebody like Lowell is taken to court for inciting racial hatred. That is the card they strategically play. They fill the victim role with a freedom of speech script. It is nothing but an attempt at winning sympathy and gathering support for their wicked ideas. All of a sudden they become the defenders of democracy and all its characteristics. It's not important that they do not believe in it or even believe it.

Freedom of speech is meant to be a tool for expression not a weapon to attack people. Freedom of speech is not absolute. When people are defamed on the media the law comes in to protect the victims. I have never met anybody who considers the libel laws as stifling freedom of speech. On the contrary, the libel laws are welcomed as protection against unfounded allegations and lies. Having lies about you printed and circulated goes against the fundamental human right of security of the person (Article 3 UN Declaration).

Why is racial hatred any different? It is not. Having somebody express (and potentially inciting) hate towards people of particular colour/race/creed is as threatening to the security of the person as lies. It is in fact more serious than spouting lies about one person. With racial hatred, one is shifting the focus from the particular to the general thus involving whole groups of peoples. A general verbal attack against black people is a personal attack on every black individual. The colour of the skin is a general characteristic. It is similar to a guy (or a girl...Life of Brian anyone?) spreading hate against fat people, people with glasses, people with long hair or people who own cars. How would you feel if people were given the liberty to generate hateful sentiment against you? How would you feel if you were being hated for something you are (as opposed to something you have done)? Would you want the law to protect the perpetrator or the victim?

Of course the right-wingers would dismiss the idea that somebody could incite hate crimes. As recent reports show this phenomenon is unfortunately starting to rear its ugly head in Malta. The law should therefore protect the potential victims not the perpetrators. Of course, people have every right to speak about what they want. They have all the rights to discuss the issues that they deem fit. That right, however, should not be turned into the right to trample on the rights of other people. Open discussion should be in the heart of any democratic society. Hate should not.