Is all hate speech created equal? Explaining differences in enforcement of French hate speech laws in the Cour de Cassation

Laws that punish hate speech are highly contested in liberal democracies. Yet much of the real work of determining what can and cannot be said is undertaken by judges who enforce the law. In France, the Cour de Cassation acts as the highest court of appeal in hate speech cases. There are significant differences in its repression of speech depending on which group has been targeted. This project examines the factors that shape the likelihood of the court repressing racist hate speech across all decisions rendered between 1972 and 2012.