Australia's government will push for changes to its race hate laws, and the internet is far from pleased about it.
Conservative politicians and pundits have long pushed for alterations to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which protects people from acts intended to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" on the basis of race.
SEE ALSO:Comedian shuts down racist audience member in the most beautiful wayOn Tuesday, the country's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced he would make changes: The word "intimidate" will remain, but "offend, insult and humiliate" will be replaced with the word "harass."
Progressive politicians from Labor and the Greens have long been against changes to the act, arguing that it would significantly soften protections for people being discriminated against on the basis of race or ethnicity.
In response to changes to the act, Australian writer Benjamin Law -- whose parents are originally from Hong Kong -- tweeted his experiences of discrimination under the hashtag #FreedomOfSpeech.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Soon, the hashtag -- referencing a phrase often used in defence of discriminatory behaviour -- was trending around Australia, filling Twitter with people's unsettling experiences of racism.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Turnbull said a press conference changes to the act would "strengthen the protections of Australians from racial vilification, and strengthen protections to free speech."
Based off the experiences of many Australians on Twitter, the changes to law likely won't do much to protect them from everyday racism, and "free speech" seems alive and well.
TopicsTwitterRacial Justice
(责任编辑：焦點)
Australian football makes history with first LGBT Pride Game
Best Buy summer deals: Shop TVs and laptops here over Amazon
'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 4: Is Aegon dead?
The 10 best TV episodes of 2020 (so far)Olympics official on Rio's green diving pool: 'Chemistry is not an exact science'SINGAPORE -- Getting stuff done at the bank often involves having to waste part of your day standing
...[详细]Hulu vs. Plex: Which group streaming service is right for you?
No company has quite figured out the perfect group streaming app, but Hulu and Plex have both put to
...[详细]Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 8
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hint
...[详细]Growing up with the Atari 2600, my first gaming crush
I'm 4 or 5 years old, and I'm fixated on the black garbage bag in the back of my parents' closet.My
...[详细]Fyvush Finkel, Emmy winner for 'Picket Fences,' dies at 93
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Fyvush Finkel, the plastic-faced Emmy Award-winning character actor whos
...[详细]Best Buy summer deals: Shop TVs and laptops here over Amazon
A quick look at the best summer deals at Best BuyBest TV dealToshiba 75-inch C350 4K Fire TV$449.99(
...[详细]How digital driver's licenses work
North Carolina is introducing digital driver's licenses by summer 2025, with the option being given
...[详细]Google is hosting a virtual smart home event on July 8
Google will soon have some smart home-related news, both for developers and users. The company is ho
...[详细]Australian football makes history with first LGBT Pride Game
The rainbow flag took over Melbourne's Etihad Stadium Saturday night in a powerful statement of acce
...[详细]The 10 best TV episodes of 2020 (so far)
Because time is an ever-expanding and contracting construct, we're already halfway through 2020. Sou
...[详细]