Should laws criminalising hate speech be repealed in favour of absolute freedom of expression?

Stance: No. Hate speech laws should not be repealed. Absolute freedom of expression risks silencing vulnerable groups, eroding democratic equality, and weaponising speech as a tool of subjugation.

Definitions (stance-aware)

• Hate speech: Expression that incites violence, hostility, or discrimination against groups defined by race, religion, sexuality, gender, or similar protected characteristics.
• Absolute freedom of expression: A libertarian conception of speech, unfettered by content-based restrictions, even where it harms or marginalises others.
• Repeal: Abolishing statutory restrictions (e.g., UK Public Order Act 1986, Germany's Volksverhetzung laws).

Framing: The debate is not about censoring unpopular opinion, but about whether speech that corrodes equality can claim protection as "freedom."

Assumptions under challenge