ADVERTISEMENTWestern defences of free speech arise mostly when the matter is fatuous or the consequence of a fatwa. This must then become the historical basis to defend free speech as a universal value across all societies and countries. But this does not come anywhere near to understanding the moral imperatives of free speech. These tend to be unthinking endorsements of free speech absolutism that end up facilitating hate speech. The crisis at the heart of Western hegemony is that it can no longer hide its hypocrisy over free speech.

Source: The Telegraph June 12, 2024 09:25 UTC