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Collin May: Edmonton should not repeat U.K.'s hate speech reporting mistakes

Free speech is foundational to our liberal democracy. Hate speech must be criminal to be prosecuted

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Last week I returned to Calgary from the United Kingdom fresh off an interview with the U.K. Free Speech Union where I discussed my new book on the future of cancel culture and free speech. One of the first local news stories I encountered upon my return featured Edmonton Police Service (EPS) facing criticism from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her government for the EPS’s recent campaign urging Edmontonians to report hate crimes as well as “hate incidents” to the police. Among the “hateful” things the EPS was asking Edmontonians to report were “offensive jokes,” a category since removed from the EPS’s statement.

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Smith gave the EPS a public dressing-down, writing on X that “Free Speech is a foundational Alberta value.” She went on to say that Albertans “don’t believe in policing unpopular or religious-based statements,” noting that this is a slippery slope that other countries have gone down.

Collin May: Edmonton should not repeat U.K.'s hate speech reporting mistakes Back to video

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