Is free speech essential in a democracy? Can it ever be restricted?
Freedom of speech and expression is at the heart of substantive equality and democracy. In the first half of my essay, I shall demonstrate the importance of free speech in a democratic society and in the later half I shall deal how the modern developments are closing in on democracy, hence curbing free speech.
There is a fact I wish to put forward no liberty of free speech no democracy and this is as simple as it gets. The importance of free spirit has been emphasized by philosophers and political theorists throughout history. The first model of democracy in Athens, dating long back to 508 BC build their foundations on political liberties, the most important being the freedom of speech. After World War II, the drafters of the Universal Declarations of Human Rights saw to it that freedom of speech was the shrine of the human rights project. There is a reason why time and again humankind has been trying to secure this particular element if human rights.
All manmade disasters that have required hatred to be implemented, have had complete control over people’s expression and then later their conscience. The most gruesome result of the death of free speech would be in Germany back in the mid twentieth century where speech and thoughts were restricted to ‘Hail Hitler’. All speech, opinion, news all were funneled through the Nazi propaganda. Free speech is never directly constricted; an authority cannot simply just pass a law that bans all human expressions, it starts with the animated posters on school walls and then the conscience of the people. When the Nazis came to power, they started to control the accepted views and ideas. When something as vague and free as an idea is being restricted, that’s when you know, you are at the end of democracy.
One of the most effective ways to destroy free speech has been by imposing jurisdiction on education. The moment education turns to a political propaganda, the idiosyncrasy of the people is no longer disposable at their will. After monopolizing education, come the laws. The state starts to issue gag orders, emergencies and curb free speech in the name of ‘national security’. The blunt truth about emergencies during war time is to hide the sheer brazen truth about war. The ‘temporary suspension’ of free speech in the Vietnam war led to the Chicago seven instance.
It is critical we define ‘speech’ with regards to the meaning and permissibility of free speech. I am not denying the governments’ effort in curbing hate speech, rather there are occasions where they have to restricted. Today the world is witnessing the rise of a new ideology neo-Nazism which has popularized the ideas of white nationalism, islamophobia, xenophobia and other militant ideas from the Nazi doctrine. In the 21st century free speech is expressed on online platforms, such as twitter, Instagram and other connecting apps.
The latest example of misuse of free speech would be the incident on January 6, 2021 when the United States Capitols saw violent attacks by Trump supporters and this was due to a single tweet by the 45th President of the USA, which in plain words spread misinformation regarding election rigging. The internet revolution has brought and unbelievable growth opportunities for expression and free speech which in turn has made the government paranoid.
This has led to in passing of a number of laws that restrict the civilian use of online platform and assembly in few places. If a topic is political controversial it is censored and since these laws don’t affect everyone directly, we don’t see the restrictions imposed unless one of us is ‘cancelled’. But once we realize the impositions on us, we see the people fighting for it once again. The centrality of opinion and expression goes beyond anyone’s control and historical setting. It is the core of humanity and this as universal as it gets.