The case of George Abaraonye, the incoming Oxford Union president who rejoiced in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, has provoked fierce debate about free speech at Oxford. Abaraonye considered the murder of the 31-year-old father of two, whom he had met at an Oxford Union debate, to be a cause for celebration. I’ve seen messages from two group chats created for incoming Oxford students, including one dedicated to those who have expressed an interest in joining the Union when the academic term begins on 12 October. If an Oxford Union president had celebrated, say, the murder of Jo Cox in 2016, would the responses of these institutions have been quite so equivocal? A long-standing caveat to freedom of speech is that incitement to violence and celebration thereof is beyond the pale in a civilised society.