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Hate speech laws, torture, religious intolerance: they all destroy what we are fighting for, according to Pieter. And I am inclined to agree:
Of course the left never subscribed to the classical liberal values of individualism and freedom and the right - while in theory the port of call for these values - will only protect these fundamental values to a limited extent. If the right accepts torture and resurrects demagogues, we are in deep trouble.
It’s time to really understand what we’re fighting for, as there is indeed a war going on. No one is disputing that. It’s how we fight it, that is what's important. If we let the hate-speech law proponents frame the way forward, we lose. If we adopt the new right's approach of tearing apart our enemy, we lose too. That is what is at stake.
Indeed. Respect for freedom is the essential distinction between us and the enemy.
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