In this October 31, 2023 article for the Brownstone Institute, Rav Arora talks about how emergencies could reveal one’s commitment to free speech.
Arora goes on to detail the various initiatives to censor pro-Palestine groups, many of whom were non-violent. These initiatives ranged from government leaders ordering police crackdown on pro-Palestine protests, to the blacklisting of students who signed a letter that held the “Israeli regime entirely responsible for the unfolding violence”.
Arora stresses, “Free speech ought to be defended for views we consider event abhorrent and indefensible…Criminalizing free speech under the guise of tolerance would undermine the West’s sacred value of free speech, not support it. Principles matter. Especially in times of emergency”.
Editor’s Note: Though this article was referring mainly to pro-Palestine sentiments, it is reminiscent of the COVID censorships and the expansion of internet censorship in recent months. It is a reminder that no one has the monopoly of truth.
If we want our societies to be founded on truth, if we want truth to inform the way we build our societies, then we must allow various points of view to be heard and fact-checked by the public. We do not need the government to do this for us.
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First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
—Martin Niemöller