And a terrible day for free speech.
Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders will be prosecuted for making anti-Islam comments, the Dutch Court of appeal decided.
I'd like to think of freedom of speech as a right bestowed on all of western society. Europe is supposed to be the place where Americans got all their nifty ideas for our hallowed documents.
What happened to the spirit of Voltaire and "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Netherlands: wtf?
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Most western countries also have statutes outlawing anti-semitic comments. I think the US is the only one without such a law.
Are these comments offensive? Sure. But should governments outlaw such public comments? I think it's up for debate.
It may be difficult to judge. We haven't the history the Europeans have had on racial and religious persecution. As an American, I hate to see any law that prohibit any kind of speech, no matter how offensive (Buckley v. Valeo notwithstanding). But I'm not willing to judge our Euro cousins.
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