Except for Freedom of Speech it seems. We love to get on our high horse about Putin not letting Rainbow Parades go on in Russia, but what about the supposed liberal and tolerant West?

Well - a man in Austria was sentenced TEN YEARS in prison for the CONTENT of his song lyrics today.

https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2022/03/31/austrian-neo-nazi-rapper-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twitter

What kind of words get you tossed in prison fir 10 years? Isn't this guy a political prisoner?

It's ok to hurt or harm people if it provides the opportunity to virtue signal to enough people, according to the new sensibilities.

It is just to punish wrong think, if it is wrong enough.

It's ok to send extreme dissent underground where it can spread without being monitored or debated with calm reasoning.

The west is adopting the social credit and facial tracking of the chinese, while 330Mil Americans call us "the land of the free"

I don't know about Austrian law, but German law (Strafgesetzbuch section 86a) prohibits the "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations" outside the contexts of "art or science, research or teaching".

According to the article in the OP

Quote:

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According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

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And he

Quote:

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gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

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While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

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whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

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If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

Watermelon Man said:

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According to the article in the OP

Quote:

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According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

---

And he

Quote:

---

gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

---

While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

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whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

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If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

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If you don't see the irony in jailing someone for speech and the parallels to Nazi Germany you need to do some reading.

Sounds like you need to be complaining about the Germans banning the communist and Nazi parties then as well, since those are illegal.

Not doing to double reply to you, baron, but here's another thing to check out: Streitbare Demokratie

baron_von_awesome said:

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Watermelon Man said:

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According to the article in the OP

Quote:

---

According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

---

And he

Quote:

---

gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

---

While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

---

whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

---

If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

---

If you don't see the irony in jailing someone for speech and the parallels to Nazi Germany you need to do some reading.

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If you don't see the dangers that allowing central Europeans to endorse and promote the ideas of genocide and glorify Nazism, I am not sure we can have a civil discussion.

Watermelon Man said:

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baron_von_awesome said:

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Watermelon Man said:

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According to the article in the OP

Quote:

---

According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

---

And he

Quote:

---

gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

---

While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

---

whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

---

If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

---

If you don't see the irony in jailing someone for speech and the parallels to Nazi Germany you need to do some reading.

---

If you don't see the dangers that allowing central Europeans to endorse and promote the ideas of genocide and glorify Nazism, I am not sure we can have a civil discussion.

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Free speech implies freedom of disassociation. Don't have to listen, but they still have the right to say.

That being said, "Free speech" only exists in the US and not the west as a whole.
Positive comments on Brenton Tarrant (the Christchruch shooter) is a multi year felony (Edit: In NZ).
It is a felony to "brigade" someone on Twitter in the UK.
Germany/Austria have multiple laws outlawing NSDAP swastikas.
Baltic states outlaw communist symbols.
Etc.
Only in the US or France could you say "Hitler did nothing wrong" or "Ho ho holocaust" in a serious tone. You will probably get laughed at though.
Edit 2: Grammar

Quote:

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That being said, "Free speech" only exists in the US and not the west as a whole.

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Exactly.

Not every western democracy is equivalent to the US. They are similar, but the constitution and Bill of Rights are what make the US distinct.

Given that, the West is still much more tolerant of dissent and much more free than any other part of the globe. While I would much rather live in the US than anywhere else, I would rather live is Austria than pretty much anywhere in Asia, Africa or South America with regard to the freedom I would enjoy.

pagerman @ work said:

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Quote:

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That being said, "Free speech" only exists in the US and not the west as a whole.

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Exactly.

Not every western democracy is equivalent to the US. They are similar, but the constitution and Bill of Rights are what make the US distinct. .

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The problem is hypocrisy. We love to "spread freedom and democracy" around the world when it comes to Israel's national security or the rights of gays but the basic actual freedoms, those foundational to the sense of the word like SPEECH we are utter hypocrites.

Remember- we condition foreign aid on tolerance to gays NOT tolerance to freedom of speech.

Well, our friends the Qatari's are confiscating rainbow flags, so I assume a wave of violent militant GLBTQ+etc. types will be invading there shortly.

Haha, just kidding, they only care about destroying institutions in America.

Watermelon Man said:

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According to the article in the OP

Quote:

---

According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

---

And he

Quote:

---

gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

---

While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

---

whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

---

If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

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Unbelievable

Yes sir whatever you say please don't imprison me.

Didn't the Saudis just give women the ability to drive solo as well?

Watermelon Man said:

---

According to the article in the OP

Quote:

---

According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

---

And he

Quote:

---

gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

---

While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

---

whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

---

If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

---

Wow, just wow. This just confirms what we already know about the tyrant left.

Is it fascist to ban fascism and communism?

Marcus Brutus said:

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Watermelon Man said:

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According to the article in the OP

Quote:

---

According to the indictment, the rapper glorified Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the mass extermination of Jews in his music and videos.

---

And he

Quote:

---

gained a bigger public profile after a man who attacked a synagogue in the German city of Halle in 2019 used his music to accompany the live stream of his attack.

---

While they do have free speech protections in Austria (and Germany), Austria also has a constitutional law known as Verbotsgesetz 1947 (last amended in 1992). This law applies to

Quote:

---

whoever in a printed work, on broadcasting or in any other media, or whoever otherwise publicly in a matter that it makes it accessible to many people, denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity

---

If you don't understand why these limits are imposed, I suggest you read up on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany during WWII.

---

Wow, just wow. This just confirms what we already know about the tyrant left.

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And also, confirms that fascists have no interest in history, which is why they try to erase it.

icrymyselftosleep said:

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I don't know about Austrian law, but German law (Strafgesetzbuch section 86a) prohibits the "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations" outside the contexts of "art or science, research or teaching".

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The catholic Church will be an 'unconstitutional organization' in many Western nations soon, I'm afraid.

Sacary that Watermelon and his ilk have the same philosophy as nazis did .

?

Hydrocele_aggie said:

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Sacary that Watermelon and his ilk have the same philosophy as nazis did .

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Very sacary indeed.

Athanasius said:

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icrymyselftosleep said:

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I don't know about Austrian law, but German law (Strafgesetzbuch section 86a) prohibits the "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations" outside the contexts of "art or science, research or teaching".

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The catholic Church will be an 'unconstitutional organization' in many Western nations soon, I'm afraid.

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When they start throwing people in jail for teaching concepts such as love your neighbor, do unto others, turn the other cheek, and helping the poor and undeserved, I'll start to get concerned.

Until then, they can actively pursue priests who molest children and the organizations that excuse and promote such behavior.

Wut? Seriously, what are you talking about?

icrymyselftosleep said:

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Hydrocele_aggie said:

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Sacary that Watermelon and his ilk have the same philosophy as nazis did .

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Very sacary indeed.

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Go cry yourself to sleep post less here

Hydrocele_aggie said:

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icrymyselftosleep said:

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Hydrocele_aggie said:

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Sacary that Watermelon and his ilk have the same philosophy as nazis did .

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Very sacary indeed.

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Go cry yourself to sleep post less here

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Wow, trying to silence opposing views? Scary that you have the same philosophy the Nazis did.

Free speech means speech we don't agree with it suck it up snowflakes

icrymyselftosleep said:

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Hydrocele_aggie said:

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icrymyselftosleep said:

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Hydrocele_aggie said:

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Sacary that Watermelon and his ilk have the same philosophy as nazis did .

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Very sacary indeed.

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Go cry yourself to sleep post less here

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Wow, trying to silence opposing views? Scary that you have the same philosophy the Nazis did.

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You have a right to speech on here ? Who knew !

No, I don't. None of us do. It's a privilege we have to speak on here that can be revoked at any time. Do you think the First Amendment applies to TexAgs?

icrymyselftosleep said:

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No, I don't. None of us do. It's a privilege we have to speak on here that can be revoked at any time. Do you think the First Amendment applies to TexAgs?

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It ought to. Rights are God given and universal. Government exists to protect them from those trying to take them away. Like some in this thread.

ChrisTAMU said:

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icrymyselftosleep said:

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No, I don't. None of us do. It's a privilege we have to speak on here that can be revoked at any time. Do you think the First Amendment applies to TexAgs?

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It ought to. Rights are God given and universal. Government exists to protect them from those trying to take them away. Like some in this thread.

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Using the god card in a discussion is cheating. How am I supposed to compete with an all-powerful being?

Also the German law prohibits speech that incites hatred or violence against a segment of the population based on race/ethnicity/religion. Is that a bad thing?

I don't see Nazi rappers on the circle of tolerance but they there in jail.

Why does one law in Austria represent the entire "west"?

J. Walter Weatherman said:

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Why does one law in Austria represent the entire "west"?

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Saying "there were no gas chambers in Auschwitz" will land you in jail in most NATO countries.