If we want to tackle anti-Semitism we must challenge hate speech, not censor it

One month on from the Charlie Hebdo massacre, free speech is still under attack. The outpouring of public revulsion at the bloody silencing of ‘blasphemous’ cartoonists after the attack was inspiring. It was a visceral display of support for the right to speak one’s mind – as crudely, offensively and blasphemously as one chooses – that has been absent for some time. But deep-rooted ambivalences have remained – and now these look to be exploited by policymakers looking to institute blasphemy laws of their own. When it comes to cracking down on aberrant ideas, Europe has long been leading the way. Restrictions on hate speech are in place across Europe. Enshrined in the UK’s Public Order and Racial and Religious Hatred acts, and mirrored across the continent, these are binding, state sanctions on speech and expression that have escaped the recent flurry of support for free speech. Such laws are routinely used to silence speech and squish dissent and – with those bloody attacks fresh in our minds – the reach of these laws look to be extended even further.