The brutal crime that took place in Raasiku, in which a middle-aged man with an intellectual disability was killed, is more than just a tragic event. In all its savagery, it also serves as a reflection of society — a mirror in which we are forced to confront injustice and the failures of the state. It's an image we would rather not see.

Looking into that mirror won't bring the man back, but it should be a moment when, as a society, we say: "Enough!" and agree that tomorrow we will do better. That we will do more to build a society where diversity is respected and where there is no place for violence — verbal, digital or physical.

Such incidents painfully expose the fact that we, as a society, sometimes fail. How else can it be that among us grow young people capable of committing such atrocities?

Respect for human dignity is not just a moral suggestion; it is a constitutional obligation. The Estonian Constitution clearly states that everyone is equal before the law and that no one may be discriminated against. But these words are hollow if the prevailing attitude in society continues to be that some people are less valuable, whether because of a disability, skin color, origin, gender, sexual orientation, age or identity.

Writer Salman Rushdie once described how violence escalates: "First come the words, then the blows and finally the bullets." Indeed, violence does not begin with a punch. It begins with a word, a "joke," a sneer — the moment someone is no longer seen as a person but as "the other." If we allow such attitudes to take root, we create the conditions in which even the justification of violence becomes easier.

That is why the state and society as a whole have a duty to strengthen protections against discrimination and to reinforce the framework for preventing hate crimes. This means not only developing legislation and the capacity of institutions but also ensuring public discourse remains responsible.

It is deeply cynical that the government has still not managed to adopt effective legislation addressing hate speech and hate crimes, despite years of warnings from Estonian civil society organizations, the gender equality and equal treatment commissioner and international institutions. At present, we lack the tools to hold accountable those who incite hatred against minorities on a daily basis. The soil for youth radicalization has been fertile, precisely because there has been no fear of consequences.

As the gender equality and equal treatment commissioner, I see every day how thin the line is between verbal exclusion and physical violence. I receive reports about people with darker skin, including children, being verbally abused by neighbors or strangers at bus stops or even being attacked in public spaces.

Often, it is the victims who are forced to leave, while the perpetrators pound their chests with pride and sometimes even find themselves invited into politics.

That is why it is crucial for society to take inclusion, equality and the protection of human rights seriously. These are not secondary issues — they are the foundation of our shared security.

Do we really need to wait for another event that shocks the entire nation just so we can look back into the mirror, each time more numbly, and admit that this is exactly who we have become?

Freedom of speech is the heart of a free society. But it must not be used as a justification for attacking human dignity. Standing up to hatred is not a restriction of free speech — it is its defense.

Every time we hear fearmongering about "new ideologies" or the "pressure of multiculturalism," we should ask ourselves: are we really afraid of justice and human dignity? Diversity and equality are not foreign values being imposed from the outside. Respect for human rights is the very core of our statehood — already written into Estonia's first constitution. These principles were born from the same yearning for freedom that led us to independence.

An inclusive society does not mean giving up one's identity. On the contrary, it shows confidence — that our national and cultural identity is strong enough to coexist with other stories and experiences. A truly strong nation-state does not fear difference; it learns from it.

The tragic incident in Raasiku raises the question of whether it could have been prevented — if there had been less fear and more empathy, if dignity and respect for difference had been consistently taught in schools, communities and the media.

Every victim of violence represents a failure of our society. If we want to make sure this kind of pain is never repeated, we must start by ensuring that the government finally takes its responsibility seriously — through laws, education, public discourse and most importantly in human attitudes — to guarantee equal rights for all.

A free society does not fear diversity. It fears indifference.

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