Shouting Murder on a Crowded Street -Daniel Schwammenthal
A British court last week sentenced four men to up to six years in prison for inciting murder and racial hatred. The men were among the hundreds of Muslims who marched to Denmark's embassy to protest the Muhammad cartoons that had been published in Danish newspapers. [The] protest descended into calls for terror and the beheadings of those who "insult Islam."
The convicted men did nothing more destructive than shout, and in the view of some Britons, the judge went too far and dangerously curtailed freedom of speech. But consider another view: By locking away the protestors for the words they chanted that day, the judge actually struck a victory for freedom of speech.
A British court last week sentenced four men to up to six years in prison for inciting murder and racial hatred. The men were among the hundreds of Muslims who marched to Denmark's embassy to protest the Muhammad cartoons that had been published in Danish newspapers. [The] protest descended into calls for terror and the beheadings of those who "insult Islam."
The convicted men did nothing more destructive than shout, and in the view of some Britons, the judge went too far and dangerously curtailed freedom of speech. But consider another view: By locking away the protestors for the words they chanted that day, the judge actually struck a victory for freedom of speech.
[T]he slogans the men were chanting and had written on their placards were calls to mass murder. By striking down the demonstrators' "freedom" to intimidate and threaten, the court protected free speech for everybody else. If the state is not allowed to stop Islamists' incitement to murder and terror, their speech may eventually be the only one that remains "free."
(Wall Street Journal)
1 comment:
It is a vexing issue. It is the cutting edge of free speech debate. It is true you do not want to limit free speech, but it is also quite true that this hateful call for violence will suppress other's right to free speech. It is an issue that needs to be looked at further, but if the judge is erring, it is probably in the right direction.
Post a Comment