On January 31, 2015, Dr Oboler gave a talk on responsible free speech after the events in France at the North Eastern Jewish Centre. The talk discussed the recent report by OHPI “#Jesuishumain: Responsible free speech in the shadow of Charlie Hebdo” and the impact of the resulting discussion on the freedom of speech from the perspective of the Jewish community.

One key point is that unlike the Charlie Hebdo attack, the Jews who were targeted were targeted because they were Jewish, not because of anything they had said. Changes to where the lines are around free speech would likely have little to no impact on Jews being targeted. At the same time, rising anti-Muslim hate makes it easier for terrorists to recruit Muslim youth. This puts the Jewish community at increased risk. Preventing anti-Muslim hate will therefore not only help the Muslim community but will also help protect the public and the Jewish community in particular.