Can speech on social media incite violence?

Danielle Allen and Richard Ashby Wilson
  • Published
    Aug 10, 2019, 5:00 am SGT
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Coverage of the El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, shootings has put a word into circulation: incitement. Can speech on a social media site, or a presidential platform, incite violence? It's time for a primer.

Providing examples dating back to 1594, the Oxford English Dictionary offers this definition: "action of inciting or rousing to action; an urging, spurring, or setting on; instigation, stimulation".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 10, 2019, with the headline 'Can speech on social media incite violence?'. Print Edition | Subscribe
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