Abstract: This chapter argues that traditional models of liberalism that define democracy as the creation of a public liberal consensus are not an appropriate basis for political engagement with contemporary extremist groups. It proposes an alternative way of defining the goals of liberal politics based on the concepts of ‘agonistic respect’, ‘deliberative democracy’, and ‘discourse ethics’. Agonistic respect and deliberative democracy create political space for extremist groups. At the same time, the principles of discourse ethics contain the potential harm caused by extremist ideas and practices. The chapter also advocates the increased use of non-legal strategies rather than criminal law as a respnse to hate speech.

Keywords: free speech, extremism, hate speech, illiberal groups, deliberative democracy, discourse ethics, non-legal strategies,