Hate Speech Bill – Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services
We have made a submission to parliament to oppose the criminalisation of the Hate Speech Bill. We deal with the extensive definition of hate speech and the large number of grounds on which hate may be based; the unconstitutionality of the provisions; the expanded concept of harm; selective prosecution; and exemptions.
The essence is that the criminalisation of hate speech threatens to impinging on the foundational importance of right of free speech, thought and belief.