[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
Israel/Zionism See other Israel/Zionism Articles Title: Where Were the Post-Hebdo Free Speech Crusaders as France Spent the Last Year Crushing Free Speech? It’s been almost one year since millions of people — led by the world’s most repressive tyrants — marched in Paris ostensibly in favor of free speech. Since then, the French government — which led the way trumpeting the vital importance of free speech in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings — has repeatedly prosecuted people for the political views they expressed, and otherwise exploited terrorism fears to crush civil liberties generally. It has done so with barely a peep of protest from most of those throughout the West who waved free speech flags in support of Charlie Hebdo cartoonists. That’s because, as I argued at the time, many of these newfound free speech crusaders exploiting the Hebdo killings were not authentic, consistent believers in free speech. Instead, they invoke that principle only in the easiest and most self-serving instances: namely, defense of the ideas they support. But when people are punished for expressing ideas they hate, they are silent or supportive of that suppression: the very opposite of genuine free speech advocacy. French comic Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala speaks to the media during a press conference in a theater in Paris, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. Dieudonne has been repeatedly convicted of inciting racial hatred or anti-Semitism and has agreed to abandon a controversial show that has been banned in multiple cities. After a Paris show Saturday was banned by authorities, he told a news conference that he will no longer do the “Le Mur” show and replacing it with a new performance. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) French comic Dieudonné M’bala M’bala speaks to the media during a press conference in a theater in Paris, Jan. 11, 2014. Photo: Michel Euler/APDays after the Paris march, the French government arrested the comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala “for being an ‘apologist for terrorism’ after suggesting on Facebook that he sympathized with one of the Paris gunmen.” Two months later, he was convicted, receiving a suspended two-month jail sentence. In November, on separate charges, he was convicted by a Belgian court “for racist and anti- Semitic comments he made during a show in Belgium” and was given a two month prison term. There were no #JeSuisDieudonné hashtags trending, and it’s almost impossible to find the loudest post-Hebdo Free Speech crusaders denouncing the French and Belgian governments for this attack on free expression. In the weeks after the Free Speech march, dozens of people in France “were arrested for hate speech or other acts insulting religious faiths, or for cheering the men who carried out the attacks.” The government “ordered prosecutors around the country to crack down on hate speech, anti-Semitism and glorifying terrorism.” There were no marches in defense of their free speech rights. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 2.
#1. To: Ada (#0)
They prolly went back to what they were doing, e.g. drinking absinthe at Café de la Nouvelle-Athènes. Purely parenthetically, I'm not sure I believe in total freedom of speech. What would a healthy society do with commies and their mouths after their past century of democide?
Rights are not divisible. Commies have enjoyed free speech here. In fact, the Communist Party USA used to be on the NYC ballot until about 20 years ago. I am not concerned with them speaking their piece but with the government supressing speech the way they do in Europe and Canada. And as they say, "absinthe makes the heart grow fonder".
There are no replies to Comment # 2. End Trace Mode for Comment # 2.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||