This weekend I wrote a column for the Washington Post on the crackdown of free speech in France. The column suggested that, if the French really wanted to honor the dead at Charlie Hebdo, they would rescind the laws used to hound them and threaten them with criminal prosecution for years. (Indeed, at least one surviving journalist expressed contempt for those who now support free speech but remained silent in the face of past efforts to shut down the magazine). Now, however, news reports indicate that the French government is doubling down on criminalizing speech in the name of free speech after the massacre. France has reportedly made dozens of arrests of people who glorify terrorism and engage in hateful or antiSemitic speech.
Prosecutors have gone out of their way to make it known that they are prosecuting people for speech — a remarkably ironic twist since the victims were prosecuted for the very same thing and died defending free speech against such private or governmental speech codes. Some 54 people have been arrested since the Paris terror attacks. The French justice department has encouraged more arrests for speech violations.
Notably, one of those detained was mentioned in my column, the comedian Dieudonne, who has been prosecuted for anti-Semitic jokes. For earlier posts and columns on Dieudonne, click here and here and here. We have previously discussed the alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, particularly in France (here and here and here and here and here and here) and England ( here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). Much of this trend is tied to the expansion of hate speech and non-discrimination laws. We have seen comedians targets with such court orders under this expanding and worrisome trend. (here and here).
The crackdown in France shows that this is really not about free speech despite the rally in Paris. The West seems to be falling out of faith with free speech, which is now something to be prosecuted rather than protected. Of course, the prosecutions will do little to change minds and will only make the West appear hypocritical and arbitrary. Notably, the arrests this week include four minors. The government is also ramping greater surveillance and searches. So, to recap, the French government just rallied millions for liberty this weekend and then used the attacks to further deny free speech and privacy rights.
In the case of Dieudonne, he ran afoul of the laws by posing a Facebook statement that he felt like “Charlie Coulibaly” — merging the names of Charlie Hebdo and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who seized a kosher market and killed four hostages. It was later taken down. He later wrote to the Interior Minister that “Whenever I speak, you do not try to understand what I’m trying to say, you do not want to listen to me. You are looking for a pretext to forbid me. You consider me like Amedy Coulibaly when I am not any different from Charlie.”
Olly-
“Once the people accept infringements of natural rights by government, then they are no longer rights;”
You are completely correct, philosophically speaking, but I don’t think it’s in the way you meant it. Natural Rights exist in a state of nature. In Republics, we have Social Contract. So, we can have either Natural Rights or government (the body tasked to draft and protect the social contract within a Republic), but we don’t get both.
Don’t like it? Don’t blame me. I’m not John Locke. I never even met the man.
Same to you Jag, it’s always a treat when you stop by!
hey Inga… Great to see you…. xoxoxoxo
Awww Nick…. I LOVE you.. you Fascist… 😀
It is true…
people have forgotten how to disagree, without hate….
They think that if you think differently, that you must be enemies…
I am NOT of that belief….. Nor are you…. 🙂
Nick…
Europe has taken in FAR MORE than their fair share of Muslims
from Iraq war… the Afghanistan war….
and the Syria war….
MAYBE if the USA would have stayed out of Iraq, we would NOT have ISIS now….
But… Hey… it is what it is…..
The USA needs to STOP removing the secular Leaders ….
Iraq was NOT a great place… But, it was better off than it is now…
Oh and Wade, it’s back to Russia again, although Putin’s trying to go back to the USSR once more.
Oh, JAG has yet to hear the “You’re dead to me” song, like so many others here, lol!
More history from the peanut gallery. I have said virtually NOTHING about the WW2 except that we were key in saving France’s ass. I’m just busy taking notes from all the experts bombarding me w/ pearls of wisdom. It’s fascinating. And I’m sorry Professor Williams, wasn’t it the Soviet Union during WW2. I seem to remember this revolution a few decades earlier?? JAG got it right.
JAG, Some folks don’t get it. We can go toe to toe and still have a virtual cup of coffee afterward. You are a breath of fresh air kid. Even though you are a Commie.
For pete’s sake! The history teacher hasn’t mentioned Russia’s role in the defeat of Germany.
JAG, “Most Muslims aren’t Jiihadi’s.” I absolutely agree. Only a small % are. But, I think Europe w/ their social safety net and kindness are a much better place for all refuges, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, etc. to move. We have police that wantonly murder. We have Republicans that kill poor children. This is a hateful, depraved country and no one should want to have their children raised in this horrible place. We are in total agreement, JAG. Total agreement. Remember, spread the word on all social media. THE USA IS EVIL. DO NOT GO THERE. Just keep track of your polemics and send me the bill. Great work.
Could’n’a won it w/o Luxembourg.
Or France, for that matter. They slowed down the wehrmacht for hours.
Chip – the French troops fought as valiantly as they could under the circumstances. They were fighting WWI again while the Germans were fighting WWII. The Germans also avoided all large pockets of French so that they could continue the Blitzkrieg. This is why the German supply lines were stretched and attacked by de Gaulle. The Germans were able to beat de Gaulle off but it scared them enough that they stopped their advance for a couple of days, allowing the BEF to start escaping from Dunkirk. The French held the Germans off allowing the British to escape when the Germans started attacking again.
The British EF did not make a great show for themselves. Remember, they got pushed back to Dunkirk. And they left most of their equipment in France when they were evacuated.
The British were damn lucky the Battle of Britain ended when it did, another week and they would have destroyed the British air force. Hitler changed focus a couple of weeks too early. Besides, he really did not want to invade Britain, he saw them as an ally. They were Anglo-Saxons, for goodness sake! The entire royal family is German.
Yet… Nick, you think that they should be free to Preach Hatred and Violence against the countries who have taken them in???
and you think that this should be covered under Free Speech????
MOST Muslims are not Jihadis….
and I hope that they find a way to remove these Jihadists from Sweden, Britain and France…. etc… etc…
They do nothing but create hate for the GOOD Peaceful Muslims….
See, I don’t want them in ANY Civilized Country…
and don’t get me wrong….
I LOVE my country…. I just hate to watch as people claim it is so great,
when in fact, as Olicou has pointed out, it is just average…
My country COULD BE great again…. But, not with the way it is split
down the middle politically…..
I have high doubts that the Left and Right will work together to make it great again….
Too many people are in denial ….
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By the way… Merry Christmas … Happy New Year… and all that jazzzzzz…. 😀
Nope, I didn’t get an espresso machine.. I wish…. 😀
Just woke up, too early…
I am going back to bed though….. SOON… xoxox
We will soon have boots on the ground in Yemen and other pirate territories to go after ISIS and AL Qaeda. Then, Obama can go hold hands with Hollande.
You’re doing great, JAG. You’re absolutely correct. All Muslim refugees need to move to all the other allied countries, France to Luxembourg, but not THE EVIL USA. The allied powers would have easily defeated Hitler w/o the US. Don’t go to that loser USA. Sweden is nice this time of year. There’s sunlight for several hours. Greece seems to have a lusty economy, maybe that will be a good place to move. Belgium..have you seen the movie, In Bruge, Omar? Bruge is like a fairy tale. It’s just too bad you can’t drink beer. They have great beer.
Bwhahahaha! Jag keep it up, good work.
ChipS, You taking notes on all the history and current events lessons we’re being taught tonight? I’m too busy LMAO.
Nick Spinelli
I will be straight w/ folks. I was a high school history teacher. History is my passion. The Cold War is my specialty, tying in w/ my being a “spy” as my kids called me when they were younger. WW2 is my next favorite topic. I have read virtually every book on Churchill and FDR. I KNOW THE HISTORY, but thank you very much.
——————————————–
Nick, I LOVE ya…
BUT… until YOU have read and studied WW2 in 6 Different Languages, like my husband has and still does….
We have an entire Library of WW2 Books…
In German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Norwegian, English……
Yes, he is FLUENT in ALL of those languages….
You are not as well versed on the subject, as you think…
If you were, YOU would
not say things like:
” the French would be speaking German, had it not been for America….”
You would understand that it was ALLIED Forces that won WW2..
NOT just the USA….
It was France, Britain, Poland, Canada, Yugoslavia, Norway, Denmark, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Netherlands, China, Greece, South Africa. USA, Luxembourg……
ONE Country did NOT win WW2…..
And, you’re up early, JAG. You must have gotten an espresso machine for Christmas. Remember, the USA is hell. Don’t go there. Spread the word.
JAG, We are paying money for malcontents like you to badmouth the US. We want for all the 3rd world refugees to move to Europe. You earned a C-note for this rant. Please spread the word that the US is hell. on earth Europe is the place you want to be, particularly Sweden. Then, jihadists, w/ the same goal as Hitler, will take over Europe. But, this time, the US ain’t bailing your asses out. You be on your own. Keep spreading the word w/ that messianic fervor, you have down pat, my friend. Send me the bill for your rants. I’ll make sure you get paid.