Free Speech on Trial in Austria and Europe

[chanel]

The “hate speech” trial of the Austrian housewife and anti-Islam activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff resumed at a Vienna courthouse on January 18, following a two-month break in the hearings. Sabaditsch-Wolff, who has been charged with “incitement of hatred” and “denigrating religious teachings” after giving a series of seminars about the dangers of radical Islam, faces a possible three year prison sentence. Her case, which is eerily similar to the one involving the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, reflects the growing use of lawfare, the malicious use of European courts to silence politically incorrect speech about Islam.

In Europe as a whole, the European Union recently issued a new law known as the “Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia.” The edict requires the punishment of “certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law.”

More specifically, the text establishes that the following conduct is punishable in all 27 member states of the European Union: “Publicly inciting to violence or hatred, even by dissemination or distribution of tracts, pictures or other material, directed against a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin.”

Free speech advocates worry that the vague and all-encompassing language of the new law will be used to silence critics of Islam in a Europe that lacks American-like First Amendment protections of free speech. In fact, another EU law called the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union” (see paragraph 52, subsection 1) actually gives non-elected bureaucrats in Brussels the right to prosecute European citizens for expressing the “wrong” opinions if it is in the interests of the European Union to do so.

Pajamas Media Free Speech on Trial in Austria … and Europe

Coming soon to the U.S.A.?

 

[California Girl]

If we allow our politicians to keep pushing the US further and further towards a European attitude, then yea, it probably is coming here too.

 

[Ropey]

If we allow our politicians to keep pushing the US further and further towards a European attitude, then yea, it probably is coming here too.

I don't see that happening California Girl. I believe America is strong enough to deal with this issue.

We in the West can see what happens when the laws are changed by extremist activists on a "spiritual jihad".

 

[Vargulf]

Actually, it will come here, eventually. All across this nation, Saudi funded mosques are popping up. The Saudi version of Islam is the extreme Sunni style. They don't consider Shias and other Muslims to be true Muslims and consider it acceptable to kill them. As infidels, we are on the bottom of the pile.
According to census figures, Muslims are having twice the birth rate other people in the U.S. are. Once their numbers reach 10% of the population, they can actually begin demanding and getting changes. If you want to see Europe and the U.S. in the future, you just have to look at Lebanon. It was a largely Christian nation with Beirut considered the Paris of the Middle East. When Palestinians left Israel and began pouring over the border into Lebanon, the Christians took pity on them, opened their doors to them and found them places to live. Once the Palestinians took hold in that nation, they began fighting the Christians. They would set up check points on roads and stop vehicles. If the occupants were found to be Christians, they were pulled out of their vehicles and shot. All this violence against the Christians led to the Lebanon Christian-Muslim war in the 80's. While a truce was eventually implemented, Hezbollah operatives have been staging attacks on pro-western and Christian politicians in that nation ever since.
Osama Bin Laden has said, "we will destroy America from within" and that is what is going to slowly happen. Islamists were instructed by their Imams, to go to the U.S. and claim to be refugees. The Muslim women you see out on our streets and in our shopping centers wearing fundamentalist Islamic clothing, are members of families that harbor a singular goal of turning this nation into an Islamic state, ruled by Sharia Law and they are patient. Time and large birth numbers are on their side. It will take a few generations, but eventually, perhaps in your great-grandsons', or great-great grandsons' time, they will be under the yoke of Islam and anyone not willing to convert, well, they can kiss their derriere goodbye.
One just has to read the Quran to see its goal of world domination.
Quran 9:5 - Kill the unbelievers wherever ye find them. Capture and beseige them and prepare for them every kind of ambush.
From the selected writings of Hasan al-Banna Shaheed: Wage war for the sake of Allah. Kill whoever denies him.
Quran 9:29 - Wage war on the people of the book (Christians and Jews).
If you figure that you will get an honest answer from a Muslim regarding Islams goal and teachings, keep in mind the "Doctrine of Taqqiya," which instructs Muslims to lie to infidels to protect the religion.
Now, I do believe that there are Muslims who are not a threat; just as there are Christians out there that do not completely immerse themselves into the religious dogma. Their wives wear western style clothing and they may call themselves Muslims, but aren't active in it. They are no threat and believe in a secular government.
Ex-Muslims such as Wafa Sultan and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, have been going around warning anyone who will listen that Islam is a threat that must be addressed in this nation. If we do not, it is at our own peril.

 

[acc_69]

In the UK, when Muslims vehemently denigrate this country, it is "freedom of speech." Do the same against Islam and it is a "hate crime."

 

[hipeter924]

The “hate speech” trial of the Austrian housewife and anti-Islam activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff resumed at a Vienna courthouse on January 18, following a two-month break in the hearings. Sabaditsch-Wolff, who has been charged with “incitement of hatred” and “denigrating religious teachings” after giving a series of seminars about the dangers of radical Islam, faces a possible three year prison sentence. Her case, which is eerily similar to the one involving the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, reflects the growing use of lawfare, the malicious use of European courts to silence politically incorrect speech about Islam.

In Europe as a whole, the European Union recently issued a new law known as the “Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia.” The edict requires the punishment of “certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law.”

More specifically, the text establishes that the following conduct is punishable in all 27 member states of the European Union: “Publicly inciting to violence or hatred, even by dissemination or distribution of tracts, pictures or other material, directed against a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin.”

Free speech advocates worry that the vague and all-encompassing language of the new law will be used to silence critics of Islam in a Europe that lacks American-like First Amendment protections of free speech. In fact, another EU law called the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union” (see paragraph 52, subsection 1) actually gives non-elected bureaucrats in Brussels the right to prosecute European citizens for expressing the “wrong” opinions if it is in the interests of the European Union to do so.

Pajamas Media Free Speech on Trial in Austria … and Europe

Coming soon to the U.S.A.?

Europe has never truly supported free speech, culturally it has, but in their actual laws and constitutions they have not, or have done so very vaguely, many European nations have laws on hate speech and laws on libel and defamation, that easily allow implementation of a blasphemy law.

The US has free speech in its constitution (not to mention freedom of religion), and a blasphemy law would violate the religious rights of non-believers, though if it was implemented all atheists and agnostics would have to arrested and sent to prison, and the jails will run out of room just like during the civil rights movement (though more than likely there would be a mass exodus* of believers and non believers to China, Russia, and even the middle east in the ultimate irony). You could well try to add similar laws in the US only to have them thrown out by the Supreme Court (you don't need much of a brain to realize it violates the first amendment). If not then I am not sure how impeachment of Supreme Court Justices works (if the verdict turns against free speech) but it would be interesting to see if the Senate and Congress could do that as many states would refuse to implement such legislation.

*In Europe (and Britain) that exodus has already begun, millions have left to NZ, Australia, Canada, Asian nations, and the US, expect millions more from other EU nations if they start locking people up for expressing their views on religion. As blasphemy laws are implemented it would anger the local population, the Netherlands are just the beginning, rather than improving the lives of Muslims it will destroy them by pushing up nationalist furore in Europe and making all Muslims the enemy.