Pauline Hanson’s poison is rewarded with airtime and rising support. But fearmongers must be called out |
There is hate speech and then there is hate speech. It depends a lot on who does the speaking.
Chanting “from the river to the sea” with a crowd could lead to criminal charges in Queensland, while down the road Pauline Hanson can say there are “no good Muslims” and be rewarded with headlines, airtime and rising support.
What is the more hateful? A political slogan with a contested meaning? Or a personal statement that makes your neighbour feel nervous, their kids fearful and encourages nutters to make death threats or indulge in “freedom restricting harassment” online or in person?
Many Australians who happen to be born into Muslim or Jewish families and once considered their faith a private matter, have experienced the personal consequences of hate speech – from slights and abusive language to physical threats – mosques, synagogues and schools guarded yet still graffitied, cars torched, pig’s heads left at their doors, jobs lost, opportunities denied.
It has left many feeling that their place in this proudly multicultural country is “conditional”, able to be withdrawn at a moment no matter what they do, depending on how well they play the game.
Speech, unlike action, is by its nature more nuanced. Often what you hear does not just depend on the words spoken, but the superstructure of meaning you bring to what you hear.
But there is some speech that isn’t open to interpretation. Pauline Hanson’s mealy-mouthed apology for offending Muslims is a prime example.
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For years the radical right has been pushing the limits of acceptable speech in pluralistic, diverse democracies. They were motivated by a desire to hold on to........