Letters to the Editor The Wall Street Journal Now more than ever we need strong hate crime laws to ensure that the punishment for targeting individuals or institutions for violence or vandalism for no other reason than their religious affiliation, skin color or other personal characteristic is appropriate. Contrary to Myron Magnet’s claims, hate-crime laws punish conduct and not thought (“‘Hate Crime’ Is Only a Step Away From Thoughtcrime,” op-ed, Jan. 2…

The following letter was submitted to The Wall Street Journal in response to "Hate Crime Hoaxes Are More Common Than You Think" (June 26, 2019). This appeared in the Journal's print editions on July 11, 2019. To the Editor: Jason Riley’s suggestion that false hate crimes are being amplified by civil-rights organizations and others who “have a vested interest in exaggerating racial tensions” is deeply offensive and flat-out wrong (“Hate Crime Hoaxes…

The following letter was submitted to The New York Times in response to "If We Silence Hate Speech, Will We Silence Resistance?" (Aug. 9) To the Editor: The first flaw in Erik Nielson’s argument is his failure to define hate speech, which clearly means different things to different people.   Speech that harasses, threatens or incites violence  - whether it emanates from the left or the right – contributes nothing to the marketplace of ideas, and…

The following letter was submitted to The New York Times in response to "Free Speech Experts Argue Against Infowars Founder" (Aug. 8) To the Editor: The debate over whether Alex Jones should have been removed from Facebook, Apple and other platforms seems almost quaint and academic when one looks closely at his long history of spreading outright lies and appeals to bigotry. After the violent alt-right protest in Charlottesville, Va., a year ago, Mr. Jones announced that he…