The concerns have led many to demand that hate material should be removed from the Net. Already some Internet Service Providers are starting to block access to sites they see as harbouring extreme material. Internet Freedom is completely opposed to the removal of any of this material from the Net. This does not mean that we endorse the views it expresses. It is because we believe people are quite capable of making up their own minds about what they read or see on the Net.
Freedom of speech is often misunderstood to be a gift to crackpots, racists, or demagogues.
But the truth is the opposite. The people who are really empowered by free speech are not the speakers but the audience. Free speech puts a premium on the decision-making ability of each of us to weigh up all the arguments and draw our own conclusions. For this reason, this month Dave Amis from Internet Freedom brings you a selection of excerpts of hate speech available on the Net. We invite you to read each of the contributions and make up your own mind.