Race hate.

This post over at Samizdata brings up the good point of lack of debate over the two Yorkshiremen who have now been jailed for four years, 10 months and two years, four months.

Maybe it's difficult to oppose the jailing of these pair, simply because of their hatred of those of a different colour, because you may be accused of being one of them. Maybe. Despite being colour-blind in my treatment of people, I would rather be accused of being racist, that flat out opposing freedom of speech. I can sleep safe in the knowledge that I am not a racist.

On the BBC website, they say

The language and racial slurs used by the pair cannot be repeated here.

And you have to wonder why. Yes, it might be offensive to some people. I was going to say that it's like why the media in the UK never published the Danish cartoons a few years ago, but that was less about offense and more about the fear of being blown up (Terrorism works, then).

What we can say, slowly, is becoming less and less. It also depends on who says it. Race hate is far worse coming from white men than it is anyone else, obviously...

Yes, their views were extreme, but so are a lot of people's. They speak of them, as they should be free to do. They don't publish them as much as this pair did because they fear jail for what they believe. Which, if you believe in freedom of speech, is wrong.