Hate speech is speech or expression ###### belittles a person or persons because ###### belong (even allegedly) to a certain ###### group. That group may have attributes ###### as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ######, age, physical or mental disability and ######.

Typical hate speech involves labels and ######, or statements that promote malicious stereotypes.]]>
###### speech can also include unspoken pictures ###### symbols. For example, the Nazi swastika ###### the Confederate battle flag (of the ###### States of America) have been considered ###### speech by many people and groups.

###### of hate speech argue that it ###### psychological harm to its victims, and ###### harm when it incites violence.]]>
Censorship Is Worse Than Hate Speech In the idea of what traditional ######, democratic societies should be, all speech ###### typically allowed under the ideal of "###### of expression." That often includes hate ######. A person may be disgusted by ###### speech, but they may also find ###### worse to allow their government to ###### the words of a citizen, even ###### those words are bigoted or hateful. ######, they might say, would lead to ###### censorship by a government.]]>
They argue that the best way ###### fight hate speech is to point ###### how wrong and false it is ###### an idea. In that liberal society, ###### an "open exchange of ideas."]]>
Some ###### are for censorship of hate speech. ###### typically argue against the traditional liberal ######, which says that all people and ###### are equal in society. The "open ###### of ideas" neglects the fact that ###### are marginalized groups who are especially ###### to the evils of hate speech.]]>
Hate Speech Silences Its Victims Hate speech, they argue, is not ###### the "free expression of ideas;" it ###### diminishes its victims' standing in society. ###### aimed at historically oppressed minorities, hate ###### is not just insulting - it ###### continues the oppression of these minorities. ###### causes the victims, the perpetrators and ###### at large to internalize the hateful ###### and act on that hate. Victims ###### hate speech cannot enter the "open ###### of ideas" as equal participants to ###### themselves.]]>
The court system of the ###### States has, on the basis of ###### First Amendment and its principle of ###### of speech, generally ruled against attempts ###### censor hate speech. The only exceptions ###### if hate speech is being used ###### incite immediate harm to a person ###### group, or if someone uses "fighting ######" when standing right in front of ######.

Other liberal democracies such as France, ######, Canada and New Zealand have laws ###### to lessen hate speech. Such laws ###### proliferated since World War II.]]>