Cristopher Hitchens on free speech, pt 3 of 3

Excerpt from a Canadian symposium. Hitchens makes a brilliant historical case for the defense of free speech and the importance of open, honest discourse.

he was invited by the University of Toronto's Hart House Debating
Club to voice his opinion on the subject of the evening's debate: Be It
Resolved: Freedom of Speech Includes the Freedom to Hate.

Following a formal debate among four students, Hitchens explains why it is an intellectual duty to defend the right of people we may disgree with. Even revisionists like David Irving has a right not be imprisoned in Austria for his views about the Holocaust.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Christopher
• Hitchens
• free
• speech
• censorship

[alolfan1]

Brilliant and transcendent lucidity. I wish more people spoke like this.

[darwinkilledgod]

When he says, "Where's your piddling subsection now?" I get goosebumps. I can't explain it exactly. My guess is it's just been so long since I've seen someone both show some intense moral outrage and actually respect liberty at the same time.

[Mrawaken77]

@Youdamana This is a joke, right? Because if not, I cannot believe you watched what he said and see the irony of what you said.

[GiulianoTaverna89]

@HumaneAnon Its nice that he was cut off, but its annoying that he was aloud in at all. How dare he accuse Hitchens of being a Holocaust denier, last time I checked Hitchens came from an ethnic Jewish polish background. You may as well accuse Martin Luther king of being a segregationist because he mentioned it in speeches and said one shouldn't respond to it with violence.

[HumaneAnon]

"It is obvious that Hitchens is proud of defending Holocaust denier..."

Some people are incapable of rational thought. I laughed my ass off at the end of this video.

[indycolts4]

Inspirational.

[AlaskanBaked]

"Shame on you while you do this, make use of the time you have left."

You did Hitch and we will carry on for you...

[Youdamana]

Excellent rhetoric disguising his hatred of freedom of conscience and speech. Such a deceptive little man. He hates self restraint and is an unrestrained bigot. His mother was a suicide and his father sold armd to Stalin. And incredibly prejudiced bigot.

[YourDogIsDeadHAHA]

@darwinkilledgod For me the line is "where are your priorities, ladies and gentlemen?"

[MrCoolhandLucas]

This is deliciously wonderful, I love you Hitch !

[yresimdemus]

Where can I find more of Andrew Moodie's commentary about this speech? I'd love to see what he has to say... I don't know anything about him (even if he agrees or disagrees), but it seemed like he was going to say something intelligent, at any rate.

[AsEasyAsEasyIs]

It's a shame that the murderess Aileen Wuornos was executed when she could have been of great help to the legions of brave U.S. marines who torture, irradiate, mutilate & murder elderly men, young mothers & children of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Libya.