Comment by causi

The issue with banning speech for being "offensive" or "hateful" is that the definitions of those things and especially who can break the law without being prosecuted for it are largely determined by what is politically convenient. One government might decide that calling for a boycott of Israel is hate speech, while another might decide that calling for an end to refugee acceptance is hate speech. I prefer that myself and my ideological opponents are allowed to speak freely without concern for who's in power at the moment or what group is the current societal scapegoat. If you don't believe in freedom of speech for people you despise you don't believe in it at all.