I could not take action against anyone who says they "hate" my world view [religion or beliefs] but if they intend to do me harm or reduce my status; it is time to take action. We have a right to our beliefs, but they do not or I do not have a right to damage them by violence. Debate ideas, research facts; should be equally open to all.

Josephus,

It is corrosive no matter how tough you think
you are to log on and see that torrent of abuse.
People who argue about the point being freedom of speech -
a cause fought for the hardest by those who have the
nastiest thing to say. It saps your energy - what's
the point.

None of us should reduce human inter-action to tedious
name-calling and demonisaton. We all could do with
drawing breath, pausing, and considering our
position before we open our mouths. Because what we say
and do does have consequences - as we've seen.
Look at the numbers who have left this forum - and
even at those who now post very rarely. That should
tell us a great deal.

I often wonder while out shopping - what if I looked
different, spoke differently, dressed differently,
who comfortable would I be made to feel in our
communities?

A smile you give is a smile you get back - so the old
saying goes - perhaps more of us should try that.

Dear Josephus,

This is pretty easy really, if you take something you write about Muslims and instead use the words Jews or Jewish and it sounds like hate speech then it probably is.

For instance when you posted “Muslim Men in the West have rights to rape children as this is their culture.” it qualifies as hate speech. Someone employing your mindset might just as easily say “Jewish religious leaders have the right to ritually suck the penises of young male infants.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brit_milah

You are of course a purveyor of hate speech. It is just that your target is deemed acceptable at the moment to a wedge of Australians.

Dear Shadow Minister,

What an utter hypocrite you are, any slightest criticism of Israel and out comes your oft repeated accusation of Antisemitism. But you want free licence for anyone to bang on about Muslims.

You really are a shocker mate.

SR,

And you appear to be off your rocker here. I have not mentioned or alluded to muslims or Israel on this thread?

Dear Shadow Minister,

My dear old chap you are the one calling for the easing of 18C so that those who engaging in hate speech can do so with gay abandon without the impediment of as mhaze puts it "a mechanism to shut down debate so as to allow only approved views to be aired."

Yet you constantly use the slur of antisemitism to shut down criticisms of Israel.

Pray tell me the difference.

So according to Foxy a SR any one who takes offence at another's belief is to be criminalised for hate. I hate people who decapitate innocent citizens because of their belief. But that is now a criminal offense.

When I went to school offending someone was common place for their wacky beliefs. The ditty repeated was: sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me." So we will now engage a thought police to keep check on the moods and expressions of anger, so no one gets their feelings hurt. however we see this in every public demonstration, to intimidate an opposition. We call it a democratic right, but it is expression of hate.