The Harm in Hate Speech and in Holocaust Denial

“

This past year I have been writing a series of articles on Holocaust denial. The first concerns school teachers who “educate” their pupils that the Holocaust did not exist, arguing that this abuse of the role of educator should not be permitted (Cohen-Almagor, 2023b). The second article shows that the roots of Holocaust denial are rooted in the Holocaust (Cohen-Almagor, 2024a). The third article shows the similarity between liberal-absolutist arguments for free speech and the arguments made by Holocaust deniers (Cohen-Almagor, 2024b). The fourth article holds that hate speech bans promote democracy (Cohen-Almagor, 2024). This chapter argues that Holocaust denial is a harmful and hateful speech, that it should be taken seriously and that legislation is appropriate to bar it. First, I define hate speech and argue that this speech is closely connected to hate crime. Subsequently I discuss Holocaust denial and some of the false arguments that deniers promote. My argument is that with due appreciation for our liberal innate inclination to provide wide latitude to freedom of expression, we must also acknowledge the need for setting limits. Contra to the liberal argument, I believe that freedom of speech and - indeed - any freedom, is divisible. We should not treat hate-mongers in a neutral fashion. Education might not be sufficient to redress the harm in Holocaust denial. Therefore, legislation is in place to counter that speech.

”