A United Nations expert on racism on Monday urged Australia not to water down hate-speech prohibitions, as bigots and extremists become more vocal. Mutuma Ruteere, U.N. special rapporteur on racism, joined the debate surrounding Australia's Racial Discrimination Act at the end of a weeklong fact-finding mission. But several conservative lawmakers argue that law unreasonably restricts freedom of speech and want the 21-year-old section scrapped. Ruteere, a Kenyan rights researcher, said the section "presents an interesting and useful balance" between freedom of speech and protecting minorities. Several influential anti-Muslim and anti-establishment lawmakers were elected to the federal parliament of the Christian-majority country at national elections in June.

Source: ABC News December 05, 2016 06:03 UTC