What an eccentric case the Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane mounted against the federal government’s proposal to amend section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act — the ‘Andrew Bolt clause’ — which makes it unlawful to offend someone. If adopted, the Commissioner concluded with a dramatic flourish, the amendment ‘may license racial hatred… may condone hate speech… may unleash a darker, even violent side of our humanity.’