Racial Vilification/Hatred

Last Updated: 30 September 2002


EFA is a member of the Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC), a worldwide alliance of online civil liberties groups, and is a signatory to the GILC resolution on hate speech (November 1997) which states:

"(1) GILC members deplore racist and hateful speech, but when encountering racist or hateful speech, the best remedy to be applied is generally more speech, not enforced silence.

(2) Liberty's fundamental principle is that governments should be prohibited from prohibiting the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.

(3) While the application of existing law to the Internet is still in its infancy, the well-established free speech principles should apply with even greater force to networked speech. The Internet gives it users easy access to public discourse. It affords human rights activists and other opponents of racism with an inexpensive and effective method for responding to racist speech."

Further information on EFA's position is contained in the following documents:

Note: While a number of Web sites imply or state that EFA agrees with and/or supports the actual racist/hateful speech disseminated by some persons and organisations, that is not correct. Any claims that indicate EFA holds or supports racist views, including the views of holocaust deniers/revisionists, are wrong.

EFA shares the view attributed to Terry O'Gorman in an article Court bans racist website by Ian Gerard, Australian IT, 18 Sep 2002:

"Australian Council of Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman criticised the ruling, saying it would interfere with a person's fundamental right of freedom of speech.
'No matter how stupid and misguided Toben's views are, freedom of speech means the right to be stupid,' Mr O'Gorman said."

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