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On German neuroses
Jul. 7th, 2005 08:44 amSome background: In Germany, there are laws against public display of nazi symbols (not preventing the swastika throwing star in the Sin City trailer to be seen on silverscreens in the Fremdsprachenkino...), and against public promotion of ideas contrary to the constitution. One of these laws is a "safeguard" against a 4. Reich, and the other is a result of the actions of the Rote Armee Fraktion terror group.
Further background: Theneonazinationalistic party NPD was recently tried against these laws in one of the highest courts in Germany. The court found that they could not prove the party to be in violation of these laws.
Today, in the newspaper, I came across an article about the recent meeting of the Bavarian section of the NPD. The article had an emotional touch flowing quite high - as often the case when reporting on right-extremists, in Sweden as well as in Germany1. Among the comments, one SPD (Social Democratic Party) official was quoted describing a visit to the same pub where the meeting was held.
The article goes on to point out that a large contingent of polices were monitoring the whole affair, and nothing, repeat, nothing illegal happened. Thus the police couldn't "Do anything about it", since, really, they weren't breaking any laws.
And people are angry that this kind of thing is allowed to go on without anyone "Doing anything about it".
Please remind me. Is Germany a democratic nation? Does Germany still subscribe to the freedom of speech?
We could modify the description above a little. The German Pro-environment party - Die Grüne - have never been found guilty of breaking the Stifling-Of-The-Unsavory-Speech-laws outlined above. When they meet up for political large meetings or rallies, their symbols are to be seen EVERYWHERE. They hold speeches - and I am sure you'll get a dose of them even if you didn't go there explicitly to listen to them. Heck, even I get a dose of the speeches.
Why doesn't anyone "Do anything about it"?
I don't like Die Grüne. I don't like their policies, I don't like their demagoguery, I don't like their ideas. Why doesn't anyone "Do anything about it"?
The reason isn't really that hard to grasp. There's nothing to be done about them, expect to argue against them when they're being idiotic and to avoid voting for them.
Please. Could someone explain to me just WHY this works for everyone except the right-extremists? WHAT is it about those parties that makes mainstream politicians so afraid they need to call for policiary action to stifle the legitimate actions of a party not found to actually BE illegal?
If the ideas really are that atrocious, WHY cannot they be shown to be atrocious in a debate? Gods Dang It! You have all the tools of a democracy on your side - why are you so DAMN afraid?
When fear drives the freedom to hold any, I repeat, ANY idea away, democracy and freedom fly away together with the "bad" ideas.
1 Somehow, the emotions never do flow as high when left-extremists are discussed. No matter what atrocities they commit or think.
Further background: The
Today, in the newspaper, I came across an article about the recent meeting of the Bavarian section of the NPD. The article had an emotional touch flowing quite high - as often the case when reporting on right-extremists, in Sweden as well as in Germany1. Among the comments, one SPD (Social Democratic Party) official was quoted describing a visit to the same pub where the meeting was held.
The doors were wide open, and you could hear the speeches out from the iner room. And they had the NPD flags hanging all over the place. This kind of thing really shouldn't be legal.
The article goes on to point out that a large contingent of polices were monitoring the whole affair, and nothing, repeat, nothing illegal happened. Thus the police couldn't "Do anything about it", since, really, they weren't breaking any laws.
And people are angry that this kind of thing is allowed to go on without anyone "Doing anything about it".
Please remind me. Is Germany a democratic nation? Does Germany still subscribe to the freedom of speech?
We could modify the description above a little. The German Pro-environment party - Die Grüne - have never been found guilty of breaking the Stifling-Of-The-Unsavory-Speech-laws outlined above. When they meet up for political large meetings or rallies, their symbols are to be seen EVERYWHERE. They hold speeches - and I am sure you'll get a dose of them even if you didn't go there explicitly to listen to them. Heck, even I get a dose of the speeches.
Why doesn't anyone "Do anything about it"?
I don't like Die Grüne. I don't like their policies, I don't like their demagoguery, I don't like their ideas. Why doesn't anyone "Do anything about it"?
The reason isn't really that hard to grasp. There's nothing to be done about them, expect to argue against them when they're being idiotic and to avoid voting for them.
Please. Could someone explain to me just WHY this works for everyone except the right-extremists? WHAT is it about those parties that makes mainstream politicians so afraid they need to call for policiary action to stifle the legitimate actions of a party not found to actually BE illegal?
If the ideas really are that atrocious, WHY cannot they be shown to be atrocious in a debate? Gods Dang It! You have all the tools of a democracy on your side - why are you so DAMN afraid?
When fear drives the freedom to hold any, I repeat, ANY idea away, democracy and freedom fly away together with the "bad" ideas.
1 Somehow, the emotions never do flow as high when left-extremists are discussed. No matter what atrocities they commit or think.
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