> Europe does not have free speech. Nonsense. Of course it does. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_10_of_the_European_Convention_on_Human_Rights https://en

> Europe does not have free speech. Nonsense. Of course it does. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_10_of_the_European_Convention_on_Human_Rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_10_of_the_European_Con... . Eg see [0] for a (successful) ECtHR case in France under A.10 relating to a similar no-insulting-heads-of-state law. My guess it the only reason this one is still on the books is that it's almost never enforced (though IANAL). The ECHR doesn't examine laws proactively - someone has to bring a case - but then, that's the same as the US (and in the US it's apparently not unusual for legislators to attempt to pass laws they know will be overturned once actually used[1]...) > In myriad ways there are restrictions on speech Sure. Same as in the US: [2]. The restrictions in that article seem broadly in the same areas as those in A.10(2). I'm not denying that US free speech protection is stronger than Europe - lines are drawn in a slightly different place: the US has stronger protection of free speech, Europe has stronger protection of privacy, among other things. But this is a long way from "Europe does not have free speech". [0] https://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/2315/en/colombani-and-others-v.-france https://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/2315/en/col... [1] http://www.mediaite.com/online/tennessee-gov-vetoes-nakedly-unconstitutional-bill-to-make-bible-official-book/ http://www.mediaite.com/online/tennessee-gov-vetoes-nakedly-... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_free_speech_exceptions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_free_speech_exce...