Quote:
Originally posted by Sir Degrader:
A quick point: Why is it that in Germany printing articles about holocaust denial is forbidden, while reprinting these cartoons is not?
|
Unfortunately this is a great big logical hole in our arguments about free speech, one that President Ahmadinejad has been quick to exploit and one that we have no effective answer to.
I can't find his quote, but it's been raised before in some of Iran's press:
Quote:
In its website notice, the Iranian daily called the competition, "What is the limit of Western freedom of expression?".
The newspaper said that Westerners used free speech to attack Muslim beliefs but did not permit debate on other subjects.
"This attack comes despite the fact that it is an unforgiven crime in the West to debate and critique many issues including the domineering system, looting and crimes perpetrated by the US and Israel, as well as alleged historical events like the Holocaust," the newspaper said.
|
The conviction this week of
David Irving in Austria (it's not just Germany) for a cool three years for denying the holocaust simply cements our double-standards on the issues of free speech. (and three years?! I would get less than that if I ran someone over in a car...)
As someone who supports the right of free speech, this sentence is all wrong. The man is a historian and has prepared detailed books on the subject - if the issue of the Holocaust is that clear cut then it can't be that hard to do things the old fashioned way and simply discredit his evidence and prove him wrong.
[ 02-21-2006, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]