Public Address | Cafe | Legal Beagle: On the possibility of laws further regulating hate speech

WH

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 11:59:56 +1300

There are restrictions on disorderly and offensive behaviour and language in the Summary Offences Act 1981. These provisions cover many of the everyday scenarios that people would expect to be covered by a hate speech law.

This proposal poses a threat to New Zealanders' basic rights and freedoms.

Hilary Stace

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:36:46 +1300

Many disabled people are the targets of hate speech and such attitudes sometimes result in violent attacks. The hate speech is directed at them specifically because of their impairment. I would like to see disability hate speech laws, as well as education on ableism.

Tim McKenzie

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:57:57 +1300

But the same law has also been used to convict someone for saying a war commemoration should commemorate the dead on both sides of the conflict and not just our dead
Wait, what? Where can I read more about this? Did the conviction rely on the wording or context, or…

Moz

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 22:26:17 +1300

Recent events suggest we also need a SLAPP law, so that rich racists can't punish people by dragging them through the courts. Or at least if the cost of doing that and losing was having to pay not just the defence costs, but damages as well, a large part of…

Kumara Republic

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 20:55:56 +1300

Some further reading:
The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President: How new technologies and techniques pioneered by dictators will shape the 2020 election

In the words of Neil Postman from "Amusing Ourselves to Death":

__What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there…

Simon Armstrong

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 16:44:59 +1300

What new hate speech law??? For the love of logical and intelligent debate a little context wouldn’t go amiss.

New Zealand is racist as fuck – Taika Waititi.

WH

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:47:34 +1300

There's an authoritarian aspect to these kinds of proposals that we need to be really careful about.

As you've alluded to, hate speech laws are part of a toolkit that is used by social activists to manipulate public opinion. Their campaigns are coordinated with the media and often fail to…

Public Address

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:47:34 +1300

Discussion from blog post.