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Free Speech

Protected: Misplaced Faith: Why B’nai Brith Canada and Other Jewish Groups Should Oppose “Anti-hate” Laws

Lynne Cohen
August 17, 2026
That free speech has been fundamental to Judaism for over 3,000 years is especially admirable considering the innumerable anti-Semitic attacks that uncontrolled public discourse has emboldened over the centuries. The courage it takes to defend that principle in present-day Canada is beginning to fray, however, as prominent Jewish organizations like B’nai Brith Canada are backing Ottawa’s recurring expansion of “anti-hate” laws – most recently with the Combatting Hate Act and Online Harms Act. But such legislative cudgels never work, writes Lynne Cohen in this originally reported essay – and often end up being used to batter their original proponents. Seeking safety behind the power of the state, Cohen argues, is exactly the wrong approach. Free speech can be messy, unpleasant – and very hard to extend to one’s enemies – but the alternative is far worse.
Free Speech

Protected: Misplaced Faith: Why B’nai Brith Canada and Other Jewish Groups Should Oppose “Anti-hate” Laws

Lynne Cohen
August 17, 2026
That free speech has been fundamental to Judaism for over 3,000 years is especially admirable considering the innumerable anti-Semitic attacks that uncontrolled public discourse has emboldened over the centuries. The courage it takes to defend that principle in present-day Canada is beginning to fray, however, as prominent Jewish organizations like B’nai Brith Canada are backing Ottawa’s recurring expansion of “anti-hate” laws – most recently with the Combatting Hate Act and Online Harms Act. But such legislative cudgels never work, writes Lynne Cohen in this originally reported essay – and often end up being used to batter their original proponents. Seeking safety behind the power of the state, Cohen argues, is exactly the wrong approach. Free speech can be messy, unpleasant – and very hard to extend to one’s enemies – but the alternative is far worse.
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