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Elon Musk’s Twitter hit with Holocaust denial hate speech lawsuit in Germany
Tech Crunch ^ | January 25, 2023 | Natasha Lomas

Posted on 02/05/2023 8:35:05 AM PST by Angelino97

Twitter owner and self-proclaimed “free-speech absolutist” Elon Musk is facing a legal challenge in Germany over how the platform handles antisemitic hate speech.

The lawsuit, which was filed yesterday in the Berlin regional court by HateAid, a group that campaigns against hate speech, and the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), argues that Musk-owned Twitter is failing to enforce its own rules against antisemitic content, including Holocaust denial.

Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany — which has strict laws prohibiting antisemitic hate speech — making the Berlin court a compelling arena to hear such a challenge.

“[A]lthough Twitter prohibits antisemitic hostilities in its Rules and Policies, the platform leaves a lot of such content online. Even if the platform is alerted about it by users,” the litigants argue. “Current studies prove that 84% of posts containing antisemitic hate speech were not reviewed by social media platforms, as shown in a study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Which means that Twitter knows Jews are being publicly attacked on the platform every day and that antisemitism is becoming a normality in our society. And that the platform’s response is by no means adequate.”

For his part, Musk has repeatedly claimed Twitter will respect all laws in the countries where it operates (including European speech laws). Although he has yet to make any public comment on this specific lawsuit.

(Excerpt) Read more at techcrunch.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: elonmusk; holocaust; oyvey; thewarisover; twitter
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The first modern (post-WW2) anti-"hate speech" laws in Europe targeted Holocaust denial in Germany.

But anti-"hate speech" laws eventually spread throughout Europe, and widened to include even mildly offensive speech that might be considered anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia.

Important not to let the camel's nose into the tent.

1 posted on 02/05/2023 8:35:05 AM PST by Angelino97
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To: Angelino97

I’m curious if Twitter has any infrastructure in Germany; and if not how the Germans have any juristiction in the matter. Perhaps they need to create a Great Chinese Maoist firewall so their snowflakes aren’t offended.


2 posted on 02/05/2023 8:39:02 AM PST by ALPAPilot
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To: Angelino97

Keep the servers out of Germany, and let the German ISPs do the enforcing.


3 posted on 02/05/2023 8:39:03 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth? (Luke 18:8))
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Sure, sue musk for holocaust denial, but leave your border doors wide open to a continuous stream of single male refugee jew hating muslims


4 posted on 02/05/2023 8:46:13 AM PST by dsrtsage ( Complexity is just simple lacking imagination)
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To: Angelino97

Gee I don’t remember Twitter getting sued for the millions and millions of anti conservative posts that were floating around for the last decade or so.


5 posted on 02/05/2023 8:46:42 AM PST by calljack (Sometimes your worst nightmare is just a start.)
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To: ALPAPilot

“I’m curious if Twitter has any infrastructure in Germany;”

If the sell advertising to German companies then the Germans can come after them.


6 posted on 02/05/2023 8:52:15 AM PST by SauronOfMordor (The rot of all principle begins with a single compromise.)
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To: Angelino97

The idea about free speech is that it allows erroneous ideas to be exposed. A even handed reading of the Hebrew Scriptures would lead one to believe that YHWH was pretty antisemitic at times. Should the Bible be banned?


7 posted on 02/05/2023 8:54:04 AM PST by SubMareener (Save us from Quarterly Freepathons! Become a MONTHLY DONOR)
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To: Angelino97

This writeup may set a record for use of the word “hate.”


8 posted on 02/05/2023 9:00:09 AM PST by Demiurge2 (Define your terms!)
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To: Angelino97

Same thing with French forums - they have a clause concerning holocaust denial.


9 posted on 02/05/2023 9:02:59 AM PST by glorgau
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To: SubMareener

A even handed reading of the Hebrew Scriptures would lead one to believe that YHWH was pretty antisemitic at times.


Or as God clearly states, there were higher agendas.

That is not an even handed reading.


10 posted on 02/05/2023 9:04:42 AM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: Angelino97

Want Musk opening a Giga Factory in Germany? Oh well.


11 posted on 02/05/2023 9:08:43 AM PST by Dogbert41
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To: dsrtsage
Sure, sue musk for holocaust denial, but leave your border doors wide open to a continuous stream of single male refugee jew hating muslims

To be fair, Jewish leaders and organizations in Germany (and throughout Europe) advocate for open borders, just as they do in the U.S.

In the 1990s, a few years after German reunification, Germany did close its doors to Turkish Muslim immigration.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center sounded the alarm, warning that Germany was returning to its old Nazi ways. I heard their press announcement on KFI-AM.

Stung by Jewish criticism, Germany quickly reopened the door to Muslim immigration.

Yes, Muslims in Europe are assaulting Jews. But many Jewish leaders literally demanded that they be welcomed in. And they still demand it (while also demanding more police protection for synagogues).

12 posted on 02/05/2023 9:30:53 AM PST by Angelino97
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To: Angelino97

Passing a law to prevent any challenges to any claims about anything tells me that the claims aren’t strong enough to withstand scrutiny. Outlawing something just to protect the precious feelings of any group is not a legitimate use of the legal system.


13 posted on 02/05/2023 9:31:56 AM PST by euram (allALL)
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To: SubMareener
A even handed reading of the Hebrew Scriptures would lead one to believe that YHWH was pretty antisemitic at times. Should the Bible be banned?

Canada seems to be going in that direction.

Canadian Supreme Court Rules Biblical Speech Opposing Homosexual Behavior is a ‘Hate Crime’

14 posted on 02/05/2023 9:33:37 AM PST by Angelino97
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To: Angelino97

“Hate Speech’ laws are nothing more than speech & thought control.


15 posted on 02/05/2023 9:33:47 AM PST by Altura Ct.
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To: calljack

You will find Soros fingerprints on this with just a little effort.


16 posted on 02/05/2023 9:35:02 AM PST by gibsonguy
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To: Angelino97

Elon should totally shutdown Twitt in the EU.

-fJRoberts-


17 posted on 02/05/2023 10:06:52 AM PST by A strike ("The worse, the better."- Lenin (& Schwab & Soros)
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To: Angelino97

MMM, no Hitler, no Holocaust, no Holocaust, no Holocaust denial, no Holocaust denial, no hate speech...... seems the problem was created by Germany electing Hitler. 🧐


18 posted on 02/05/2023 10:16:55 AM PST by Lockbox (politicians, they all seemed like game show hosts to me.... Sting)
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To: Angelino97

First, they came for the Holocaust deniers...


19 posted on 02/05/2023 10:17:35 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: glorgau

Can I deny genocide of Rwandans, Armenians, Cambodians, Russians,, Chinese, etc.?


20 posted on 02/05/2023 10:27:21 AM PST by EEGator
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