To The Age The proposed entry ban on Milo Yiannopoulos ("No go, Milo: Right-winger banned", 7/3), like the ban on David Icke, raises concerns about the possible erosion of free speech that may be involved. The reported trolling activities of Yiannopoulos are repellent, but do they really suggest that he might, when here, "incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community" to any significant extent? Moreover, the trading of insults and pejorative labelling is found right across the whole political spectrum; and most Australians are sensible enough to tolerate it as part of human nature. A common element in both these cases is the accusation that there has been anti-Semitism involved. This propaganda term is regularly used by some Jewish interests and their supporters to deflect adverse criticism of Jewish influence in politics, some of which may be justified and in the general interest.
Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic