Singers jailed for lyrics

[Michael Kalus]

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On 27-Dec-03, at 10:31 PM, Tyler Durden wrote:

> "As long as truth is no defense against "hate speech," and "hate 
> speech" includes
> things which clearly don't involve anyone hating anyone else, "hate 
> speech" is simply
> a code phrase for suppressing free expression."
>
> At worst. At best it's going to boil down to some local enforcement 
> shitheel taking it upon himself to be the arbiter of issues he'll have 
> no ability to comprehend.
>
> -TD
>
>

It isn't quite that easy.

It is not like any cop can just arrest you, drag you away and lock you 
up because he thinks you did something wrong.

The way this would work out is that someone would have to report you 
(as the offender) to the cops, they in turn would contact the 
"Verfassungschutz" which then would investigate and if they consider 
that something is up they can ask a judge for a warrant.

In reality though is there was a huge outcry last year in Germany. A 
rather right wing party called "NDP" as well as several 
"Wehrsportgruppen" which (according to the Verfassungschutz) were 
extremely right and attacking the German consitution, were in effect 
actually LED by informants of the Verfassungschutz. What this means is: 
They build the monster they were supposed to "protect" us from.

The whole thing still isn't over, Politicians from all colours ask 
loudly if Germany actually still needs the Verfassungsschutz. That the 
singer got jailed has happened independently from each other, but to 
think that the majority of people in Germany are just sheep is as wrong 
as the idea that all of Germans are Nazis.

I find it always interesting how people (especially from the US) seem 
to have prefabricated ideas about how other countries are, but are at 
the same time so much in denial about their own society that it is just 
frightening.

One huge difference I have noticed between the US and Germany in 
particular is that discussions LIKE these are still happening in the 
mainstream press, not only in the "left" or "right" wing propaganda 
papers.

It might be interresting to note BTW, that the german mainstream right 
is that mainly likes to use the Verfassungschutz, not so much the left 
who accepts it but is a lot more critical of it than for example the 
Bavarian Government. That might have to do with the little fact that in 
the mid 70s and 80s the left was the main target of them (think Rote 
Armee Fraktion).


Michael


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