Sound and Fury. Criminal dilemmas and the need for an impossible conversation

Nuno Igreja Matos is the author of the article 'O som e a fúria' (The Sound and the Fury), published in the autumn issue of LER magazine, in which he analyses some of the main dilemmas surrounding the criminalisation of hate speech and freedom of expression.

At a time when complaints and investigations into hate speech offences are on the rise and no form of communication is immune from the suspicion of hate, the lawyer shares his views on the subject.

Those who engage in political debate should be able to use more aggressive forms of communication. The raison d'être for this licence to speak has millennia of precedent and is explained by the need to maximise democratic pluralism. Those who enter the arena to take part in the debate should not feel inhibited. Immunity is their defence against attempts to silence them, which is only useful when a non-majority or controversial argument is being discussed,' the article says.

Read the full article in the attachment below.