The Dangerous Cost of Criminalising Student Protesters for Their Language

On July 20, students marched to Parliament demanding accountability. Some were angry enough to use offensive language. They shouted slogans, used expletives and, in the heat of the moment, crossed a line that civil public discourse should not. They returned home to criminal complaints, online mobs and threats that no young person should have to endure. Their language may well warrant conversations about civility, respect and responsible dissent. But does it warrant criminal cases, morphed photographs, rape threats, stalking, cyberbullying, public humiliation and a nationwide campaign to brand these students, including teenagers, as enemies of the nation?

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