Europeans Outlaw Net Hate Speech

Wired News ^ | Nov. 09, 2002 | By Julia Scheeres

[Dallas59]

Council of Europe has adopted a measure that would criminalize Internet hate speech, including hyperlinks to pages that contain offensive content.

Specifically, the amendment bans "any written material, any image or any other representation of ideas or theories, which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual or group of individuals, based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion if used as pretext for any of these factors."

[Dallas59]

Hate on the Net?.......No way.

[xrp]

Oh boy...here comes the Euro Thought Police.

[Alouette]

Euronuts will use this law to shut down pro-Israel and pro-USA sites.

[Snowy]

Does this mean no one can get to DU from the UK?

[trebb]

Yesy, and Algore says that the Prez is just using Iraq as smoke and mirrors to facillitate the removal of our rights and freedoms. You want to really address the issue, you have to look at those that will limit freedom of speech (hate or not) and decide that history needs to be rewritten to not offend anyone, and kids' books can't show ice cream or girls being maids, etc. That's where the real deteriation of our freedoms is coming from and people want to gripe about "Jackbooted thugs" and such while ignoring the insidious creep...

[Dallas59]

Pretty dull web surfing coming up in Europe. Of course they'll promote porn out the wassu...of course the Muslims will be taking soon over anyway and ending it all..

[Puppage]

Europeans Outlaw Net Hate Speech

And, just WHO defines "hate speech"?

THIS is what the 2nd amendment is ALL about.

[ladylib]

This school in Nevada thinks it can censor students' personal blog sites. This kid should bring a federal suit because he would win big:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Nov-10-Mon-2003/news/22546246.html

This is government school censorship and shouldn't be tolerated.

[thinktwice]

Picture a proverbial camel ... sticking its nose under a Bedouin tent flap.

Maintaining the Freedom of Speech is far more important than criminalizing offensive websites.

[Mike Darancette]

Specifically, the amendment bans "any written material, any image or any other representation of ideas or theories, which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual or group of individuals, based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion if used as pretext for any of these factors."

Watch FR be banned from the EU while DU is applauded.

[cwb]

It's interesting to see how the Euro's bend backwards to shed their anti-Semetic side by banning "Holocaust" deniers on the internet. Yet, at the same time, they still practice anti-Semitism in the streets, spoken by some of their own leaders. Image is everything.

[Qwinn]

"It also obliquely refers to the Holocaust, outlawing sites that deny, minimize, approve or justify crimes against humanity, particularly those that occurred during World War II."

How many people want to bet that this will include silencing any facts that demonstrate that Pope Pius XII was not even remotely "silent" about the Holocaust? (raises hand)

Qwinn

[Sunshine Sister]

I wonder if the folks in Europe have ever been here? There has been some major league disagreein' goin' on here. I wonder if they think that is hate speech?

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

against any individual or group of individuals

I wonder if parts of the Bible are now banned.

???

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

Doesn't this send a chill down your spine?

Freedom of Speech is dying in Europe.

Hitler would be proud.

[The Scorpion King]

I'd like to see 'em enforce that one. Those sites will move to one of the island nations that don't care, and thumb their noses at the Euro Thought Police.

[Alas Babylon!]

I have no doubt. There is a thing called the "Rule of Unintended Consequences". So, given a loose interpretation of the law, European judges may rule sites defending the US nuclear bombing of Japan as a hate site (note especially the WWII reference), anything dealing with the American Revolution as a hate group, the War Against Terrorism, etc, etc. When we FReepers berate the French for their perfidy, watch that also be banned.

The very act of banning this kind of speech will also serve to promote it for those wanting to be anti-establishment. Better to let the kooks appear unabated for all to see. That would go farther than trying to decide what is and isn't hate by some bureaucrats. But those wacky Europeans have always known better than the upstart, primitive Americans and their ideas of freedom.

[RiflemanSharpe]

I hate the french surrender monkeys, does this now mean they will come and get me since I am posting this on the web. HEHEHEHE

[AppyPappy]

Will they go after Muslim anti-semite sites? Nope

[mhking]

Council of Europe has adopted a measure that would criminalize Internet hate speech, including hyperlinks to pages that contain offensive content.

How long before they come after FR?

Just damn.

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