Canceling University Presidents Won’t End Antisemitism

Hate speech is a scourge. Combatting it is an important goal of any society. Speech that incites violence or creates a threatening environment cannot be tolerated within civilized communities or public or private institutions.

There are other dangers associated with hate speech, however. These include a lack of clarity in defining what is hateful or dangerous or worse, abuse of the impulse to regulate such speech.

As much as the dangers of recent weeks have revealed the pervasive nature of the threats of antisemitism and Islamophobia within society and, in particular, within American universities, sadly they have also revealed our vulnerability to heat of the moment-driven definitions of what poses a threat, and mob mentality regarding how and when to regulate speech.