Holocaust denial as a crime
I knew Holocaust denial was a crime in Germany and Austria, but George Will does us a favor and presents an entire list of states with similar laws:
Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland.
No big surprises, but interesting to see the list.
Will brings up the interesting (but of course not new) comparison between the Western demands for free speech when it comes to cartoons about Muhammad - and many of the same countries criminalizing certain statements about the Holocaust. And, as some Muslims have pointed out recently, there was an attempted holocaust of Muslims in Europe (the Balkans) in the 1990s.
Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland.
No big surprises, but interesting to see the list.
Will brings up the interesting (but of course not new) comparison between the Western demands for free speech when it comes to cartoons about Muhammad - and many of the same countries criminalizing certain statements about the Holocaust. And, as some Muslims have pointed out recently, there was an attempted holocaust of Muslims in Europe (the Balkans) in the 1990s.
posted by bp at
7:49 AM
2 Comments:
Yeah, I think laws banning Holocaust denial are bad. Not only because it makes all kinds of free speech problems, but because it adds a veneer of appeal to such denials. I think truth is a stronger force, and that denials should be met w/ evidence, not simply brushed aside. And it has the added effect of driving such deniers underground - I'd rather know who such people are.
By
Miguel Centellas, at 4:32 PM
Well, I agree w/Miguel that holocaust denial bans are bad, but pin that conclusion on similar grounds to affirmative action being bad. There was a time when jews needed heightened protection (as there may have been a time when minorities needed the leg-up in edu and employment), but those days are past. Fairness demands those protections be removed.
By
t'su, at 7:55 PM
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