The Right To Offend? A Polis Debate with David Aaronovitch & Mehdi Hasan

by Charles Maggs (subscribe)

Event: 11/10/2012

The latest Polis debate at the LSE saw Aaronovitch of The Times and Hasan of Al Jazeera and The New Statesman discuss the extent free speech should be allowed.

The smallish but packed lecture theatre saw Aaronovich open putting the case for the right to offend religion - citing the furore that greeted the release of the Life of Brian over thirty years ago but has now been accepted to the extent that its theme was sung at the Olympics by 80,000 spectators.

Hasan's rebuttal was that to a practising Muslim it would be unacceptable for the prophet to be mocked and that it would be impossible for a non-believer to appreciate how much Mohammed means to a believer, indeed that he means more to him than his wife & children. Also that he hoped to see the day when society can be civilised enough for people to not feel the need to offend others.

Questions were then opened to the floor where the debate remained well mannered but robust. The event was free for all and promoted by the Huffington Post.

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When: Thursday, 11 October 2012 from 18:30 to 20:00

Where: U8 lecture theatre – Ground Floor, Tower 1, Clements Inn, London School of Economics. WC2A 2AZ

Cost: Free