by Daniel Ben-Ami, spiked
The ‘pro-Palestine’ crowd’s selective defence of freedom of expression is hypocritical and self-serving.
It is more important than ever to remember that the right to free speech does not depend on what is being said. People have the right to make pronouncements, even if they are wrong, obnoxious or downright offensive. It should be up to the public to decide what to believe, rather than authorities outlawing ideas they deem illegitimate.
This reminder is particularly necessary given the Trump administration’s ongoing clampdown on free expression at American universities – ostensibly, in the name of tackling anti-Semitism. Most notoriously, it has arrested and plans to deport activist Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leaders of Columbia University’s Gaza encampments. One of the predictable but unintended consequences of this is that it has helped anti-Israel campus activists to portray themselves as free-speech heroes.
In reality, they are anything but. Their right to make outrageous statements should be defended, but not because what they say has any intrinsic merit. And when they engage in physical violence, as they sometimes do, a hard line must be taken against them.
A central element of the anti-Israel movement, the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, is aimed at denying freedom of expression to anyone with a connection to Israel. Yet genuine supporters of free speech must uphold the right for those they disagree with.