With so many proponents pushing for the freedom of speech, some may wonder where the line is drawn when it comes to hate speech.

Singapore academician Cherian George, in a talk last night on “The Global Assault on Religious Tolerance”, admitted that there is a “big debate” on where the line should be drawn.

Citing international human rights standards, George, who is an associate professor of journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University, said the line should be drawn when there are elements of incitement.

“When a speech crosses the line into incitement – people being instigated to cause harm to other people – that’s where we draw the line.

“If it is merely offending feelings, it should be legal – not that it’s something good, or should be promoted – but if it is a problem, we solve it through non-legal means. We don’t lock people up for it,” said George during the programme held in Kuala Lumpur.

However, George, whose research centres on freedom of expression, noted that many societies around the world had opted for more “traditional standards”...