Does the constitution protect hate speech?

Answer 1

yes it does but thankfully it also protects us from having to agree with it and allows us to publicly demonstrate against and protest whether the hate in question comes from racist organizations, the pulpit, or our elected officials.

in the immortal words of Voltairre, " I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

and yes i know he wasn't an American but the sentiment still holds.

Answer 2

The constitutions protects all forms of language in the first amendment in the bill of rights. This is limited in some cases to public places. For example anti semitic inflammatory rhetoric cannot be on the park signs in a local park. However, in private institutions this is all fair game. As for the speech, yes, all people have this right to hate. They do not have the right to segregate, persecute, or violate anyone else's rights. However, yes another however, if you are in a restaurant, you can be thrown out for saying hateful things, because that place is private, and is run based on the rules the owner has set.

Answer 3

what is hate speech? That is nothing more than a term invented to protect someones feelings. This is an attempt to tell you what you can and cannot think. Do you realize that if the government passes the "hate speech" laws that have been introduced and re-introduced 5 of the last 6 years what that will mean to this country? Look at what has happened in Canada, Britain, New Zealand and other countries that have passed similar laws.
I may not agree with what you say but you certainly have the right to say it. As do I

Answer 4

depends.
hate speech isn't nationally or officially defined- which is a problem for answering this question

free speech doesn't protect slanderous speech, obscene statements (anything without intellectual or artistic value), character defamation, and any speech that incites violence
(this only concerns government censorship, private business or other establishments can censor)

these forms of 'unprotected speech' are debatable and there have been court cases debating is a statement was actually obscene or slanderous (or one of the other afore mentioned types of speech). if the case is serious than it would be determined in court.
(local communites sometimes have their own definations or guidelines for these matters. for instance in some towns you can not swear while giving a public speech)

basically if the speech is defined as 'hate speech' but doesn't meet the above mentioned criteria its legal

Answer 5

Dear NDB,
So long as no one lays a finger on an African American the Klan is within there rights to make all the speeches they want about how they hate “Ni****” and refuse to live on the same street.
So long as no one gets hurt Dr Dobson and Pastor Phelps can stand outside the memorial service of any fallen serviceman, telling us all, that god hates ******
When the words become actions, OR if you can prove the words to be deliberate lies… Then the line has been crossed and the government [IE police/courts] can step in. But not until.
Hugs,
PennyAnn

Answer 6

Yes, Sharpton called white people interlopers, Jessie Jackson said Hymie town referring to Jews, and the KKK still have hate marches and call black, Jews, and gays names. So yes hate speech is protected. But the founding fathers were not thinking about protecting that kind of speech, just speech to express your political views and to speak out against the government.

Answer 7

The first amendment protects all speech that is not libelous, slanderous, or incites violence. The right to free speech is very broad and most types of "hate" speech could be considered protected speech.

Answer 8

That depends. If the speech incites a riot or action against the object of ones hatred its like crying fire in a crowded theater when there is no fire. You have the right to express an opposing opinion, but you do not have the right to express hatred toward an individual or a group the results in causing harm to that individual or group.

Answer 9

Yes

In the United States, government is broadly forbidden by the First Amendment of the Constitution from restricting speech. Jurists generally understand this to mean that the government cannot regulate the content of speech, but that it can address the harmful effects of speech through laws such as those against defamation or incitement to riot.

Answer 10

Yes, it protects hate speeches. It does not protect hate speeches that incites a riot or tells people to harm or kill someone.

Answer 11

The first amendment was intended to protect speech that is unpopular because it needs protection. I don't have to agree with what someone says but I will fight for their right to say it.