The document provides 10 reasons to take action against hate speech: 1) It is an act of love in an economy of hate. 2) Hate speech responds to a crisis in democracy. 3) Taking action helps democratize democracy. 4) It defends freedom of expression while recognizing that freedom can be used as a fantasy. 5) It defends media ethics in a volatile media environment. 6) Claims that freedom of expression is threatened can direct attention to racist provocation. 7) Racists take language seriously, so we should too. 8) These ideas should never shape what is acceptable. 9) Others take action against hate speech every day. 10) The author asks the reader to provide their own reason.

1. 10 reasons to take action against
hate speech
Gavan Titley
Mobilising, planning and networking for campaigning effectively
with young people against hate speech online
Strasbourg 7-9 November 2013

2. …because it is an act of love, in
an economy of hate.
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3. Prejudice neither begins nor ends with the subject
that speaks and acts (Judith Butler)

6. …because it is an act of love for
democracy (where hate speech
is, in part, a response to a crisis of
democracy)
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7. There is a fundamental, and
dangerous, idea behind the very
idea of the modern nation-state,
the idea of a ‘national ethnos’. No
modern nation…is free of the idea
that its national sovereignty is built
on some kind of ethnic genius.
Arjun Appadurai (2006) Fear of Small Numbers: An
Essay on the Geography of Anger

8. …because it helps democratize
democracy
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9. …because it defends freedom of
expression.
4

10. Freedom as fantasy…

11. See? It is as simple as that.

12. …because it defends media
ethics in a volatile media
environment.
5

13. …because claiming that
‘freedom of expression’ is
threatened is a tactic for directing
attention to racist provocation.
6

14. …because racists take language,
language games and language
politics very seriously, and so
should we.
7

16. …because we can never let these
ideas shape the spectrum of
acceptable ideas.
8

17. Because others do, every day.
9

18. Because…you tell me.
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