Freedom to offend & freedom to be offended

Hard to argue with Deborah Coddington this week. Most of the comments would suggest the readers have missed the point: we have a right to offend other people and we have a right to be offended.

Gang patches are not intimidating on their own, it's the actions and behaviours exhibited by those wearing the patches that are intimidating. There are already laws in place to deal with these behaviours, so the gang patch simply limits freedom of expression. It is the thin end of the wedge, where does it stop? Is wearing a swastika acceptable (or legal)? At a recent Taranaki vs Russia rugby match, someone in the crowd was filmed wearing a CCCP shirt with hammer and sickle insignia. This would be equally as offensive to someone who suffered under the Soviet regime, as a swastika to others.

So where do we draw the line? Gang patches or swastikas or communist symbols? And where does it stop?