After the Second World War, Soviet Russia was determined to have the concept of 'hate speech' enshrined in international legislation. They wanted there to be legal sanctions against 'hatred and incitement to hatred'. In Maoist China, hate speech was a crime.
In many Islamic states, criticising Islam and Muhammad is a crime that can carry the death penalty.
Why are repressive regimes and authoritarian governments so keen on the concept of hate speech? Because it is a means to control people – not just what they do but also what they say and think.
George Orwell in his famous 1984 novel was prophetic in his understanding of where society was heading. What he didn't see was that it would be so-called 'liberal' societies that would end up using the concept of hate speech as a form of control....