Why is freedom of speech important? Intrinsically, when free speech is allowed, there can be a healthy exchange of ideas. People are also held accountable for their actions when opinions about them are allowed to be expressed. However, freedom of speech also has its dangers: speech could incite violence, and it could cause offence. When Edward Snowden leaked state secrets, was he damaging the state or was he revealing actions that should not have been performed by the government? The genocide in Rwanda was accompanied by radio broadcasts in which Tutsis were identified as needing to be exterminated. Should speech that provokes violence be banned? What if there are terrible things being done by a group of people? Drawing attention to them increases the risk of violent action or repercussions, but should that stop voices being raised against them? Perhaps the trickiest issue is whether we should ban speech that causes offence. Some may believe that all speech that causes offence should be banned. But some people may just be very sensitive, or an issue may be such that it needs to be spoken about—imagine if a person was upset by the mention of homosexuality. Would that be a reason never to speak about it? Conversely, some may feel that no speech needs to be banned. But should people have to endure racist or sexually abusive speech? Achieving a balance between being too restrictive and too permissive is a problem that all societies face. Getting it wrong either way can have a severe impact.