The Economist – Should hate speech be opposed with ridicule and reason or with handcuffs?

In a speech earlier this month the European Union commissioner for justice, Vera Jourova, declared: “If freedom of expression is one of the building blocks of democratic society, hate speech on the other hand is a blatant violation of that freedom. Ot must be severely punished”.

Director Jacob Mchangama says to The Economist that, Ms Jourova’s approach “takes the EU away from its founding values” because “one cannot foster tolerance through repression and censorship”. On the contrary, he says, “racism and bigotry call for opposition from social movements and an engaged civil society, and that requires freedom of expression.”