In an era of “safe spaces,” is there still value in hearing what we do not want to hear? As the boundary between subjective offence and objective harm blurs, and backlash against the “woke” period of the 2010s intensifies we interrogate the limits of expression. Does a healthy democracy require the right to offend as a prerequisite for truth, or is the cost to human dignity simply too high to pay?

For The Ayes

Katie Hopkins
A former British Army Intelligence Officer, Hopkins shot to fame as the TV Apprentice who fired Lord Sugar. A powerhouse of opinion, Katie was thanked personally by President Trump for her tireless efforts as Chief Columnist at the Daily Mail. Unapologetic in her approach, Katie is banned from South Africa, Australia and all schools in Wales.

Nico Perrino
Nico Perrino is the executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression(FIRE), a free speech advocacy organisation based in America. He was co-director and senior producer of Mighty Ira, an award-winning documentary about the life of former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser.

Catherine Liu
Catherine Lie is Professor of Film and Media Studies at UC Irvine. She has published widely on critical theory, film and art criticism, psychoanalysis and Left historiography. She has appeared on a wide range of podcasts and platforms and is the director and founder of the Palm Springs School for Social Research.

For The Noes

Rose Simkins
Rose joined Stop Hate UK in January 2006 as Chief Executive and has led the Charity through a significant period of growth and change. Her career started in 1993, where she worked for more than 20 years in Housing Management and Homelessness, and a further 7 years leading a Refugee and Asylum support service.

Professor Kehinde Andrews
Kehinde Andrews is professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University and led the establishment of the first Black Studies programme in Europe. He is the chair of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity, and editor in chief of Make it Plain. He is author of books such as the Psychosis of Whiteness: Surviving the Insanity of a Racist World and The New Age of Empire.

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