4 ms·
I think free speech is usually seen in a non-national context in a sense of "you can say whatever you want. No exceptions". So Germany does not have that at all
by s9w 7y ago
I think free speech is usually seen in a non-national context in a sense of "you can say whatever you want. No exceptions". So Germany does not have that at all.
"Hatespeech" on top of the "legal"/national definitions for what is sometimes also called free speech (but isn't at all) are just contraptions to censor people, usually the political opposition.
- DanBC 7y ago> "you can say whatever you want. No exceptions" Does anywhere have that? The US certainly doesn't.
- zaarn 7y agoIf "you can say whatever you want. No exceptions" is your definition of free speech it doesn't exist. ANYWHERE. Not even in the US. All speech in all countries has restrictions. The US has slander, for example, which can certainly land you fines or jail time. Lying in certain circumstances too. >are just contraptions to censor people, usually the political opposition. Which political opposition is being censored in Germany that isn't just a reincarnation of the NPD/PEGIDA/MLPD? And please don't bring up anything that is a decision by a private entity, they can "censor" all they like and it wouldn't violate any free speech laws at all.
- s9w 7y agoI didn't say that ideal exists anywhere. The US certainly gets much closer than any European countries I know. Many German citizens have been raided, sued, fined, jailed or otherwise silenced because they criticized the current government, in particular the political decisions since 2015. Many people are opposed to that. And most of them are not of the group you mentioned.
- zaarn 7y agoI know plenty of people who critized the government for decisions around and after 2015, publicly even, and none of them were raided, sued, fined or jailed for it. Maybe these people are actually in the groups and just employ the standard tactic of claiming to be a lone wolf when asked.
- s9w 7y ago> I know plenty of people who critized the government for decisions around and after 2015, publicly even, and none of them were raided, sued, fined or jailed for it. That doesn't mean that these things don't happen. Just one recent example: https://www.einprozent.de/blog/meinungsfreiheit/friedlicher-protest-fuehrt-zu-hausdurchsuchung/2488 https://www.einprozent.de/blog/meinungsfreiheit/friedlicher-... or this: https://www.vice.com/de/article/8xe7jg/kuchen-tv-volksverhetzung-geldstrafe-rostocker-gericht https://www.vice.com/de/article/8xe7jg/kuchen-tv-volksverhet...
- zaarn 7y agoYour first link goes to a blog that's operated by a known right-wing extremist who is part of the Neuen Rechten and the AfD. The second link is some youtuber doing something that is either extremely dumb or very right-wing and rightfully earned him a visit at the nearest courthouse.
- s9w 7y agoYou are free to find other sources, the facts remain the same. I can't talk about (these) political parties without being banned. If you really think that the guy deserves an unjust sentence for being right-wing, then I'm afraid of people like you. That is exactly what this argument was about: Political opposition being silenced.
- zaarn 7y agoI'm not afraid of right wing people, I just despite right wing extremists. I don't have to look for any sources, you have to convinve me if anything. People rightfully get just sentences for following a party focused on the very same politics that plunged Europe into a second world war.
- s9w 7y agoSo you do want to punish people for simply being the (democratically elected) political opposition, hence proving my point. I think I'll run the other way now.