Eric Heinze, Professor of Law and Humanities at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), discusses the issues around censoring hate speech and uses an example from a recent BBC Radio phone-in when a caller aired his anti-Semitic views and was subsequently challenged by the journalist rather than cut-off. “It’s time for British law to abolish all crimes of opinion within forums dedicated to the general airing of public views. The BBC must lead that effort. Media silencing and sidestepping don’t combat hate speech. They only vindicate the conspiracy theories which insist that free speech is granted to some but denied to others,” he writes.