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Feb 20, 2006

The New Hitlers

I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the recent free speech fiasco over the cartoons of Muhammed published in a Danish newspaper since other bloggers are covering it so well.

However, I'd like to take a moment to note that it's not just Islamists attacking free speech: apparently it's Jews (and other Holocaust victims) as well. I don't think I was aware of this law when it was passed, but the truth is that it's a really frightful piece of legislation.

I'm aware that the Holocaust took place, however NO ONE deserves prosecution, much less three years in prison for denying it. People with unsavory beliefs have just as much free speech as anyone else. Just as they aren't free to force you to listen to them, you aren't free to force them to say what you'd prefer them to say.

Rights work both ways, it make no difference who is supposed to benefit from the violation.

4 comments:

EdMcGon said...

I agree completely.

Free speech is a double-edged sword. We have the right to say whatever we like, no matter who it may hurt. But in so doing, we also may reveal our own ignorance.

Jennifer Snow said...

If there's a wasp in the room, I'd rather have it out in the open where I can see it.

EdMcGon said...

Well said.

Anonymous said...

I was going to write a comment claiming laws against denying the halocaust are not unique to Isreal not knowing how common they are. Upon futher research I found a list

- Austria, Belgium, Chech Republic, France, Germany, Isreal, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

I was going to search for more that were not on that list but every link I went to seemed to start with the phrase "right wing extremist" which I find annoying.

Jay