Post: #1

What's next? Will it be the manosphere, anti-gay marriage activists, and basically anyone writing things progressives disagree with?

http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-...ch-racists

Quote:In a landmark ruling, a French court has ordered Twitter to hand over details of users who posted racist and anti-semitic content.

Last October, the hashtag #UnBonJuif - a good Jew - started trending in the country, along with #SiMonFilsEstGay (if my son is gay), and #SiMaFilleRamèneUnNoir (if my daughter brings home a black guy).

Twitter removed the majority of the offending content from the site, but refused to hand over details of the groups making the posts, who were writing under pseudonyms.

Its refusal prompted the lawsuit from the Association of Jewish Students in France (UEJF) that led to today's ruling.

Twitter has been attempting to tread a fine line on censorship, saying only that it's prepared to remove posts in countries where they violate the law. In October last year, it put this policy into practice for the first time, blocking access to a neo-Nazi site in Germany.

However, it maintains that as its data is stored on servers in the US, it doesn't have to divulge the identity of users unless it's served with a court order in the US. It's been ordered to do so in the past, perhaps most notably in relation to Occupy protestors last year, on which occasion it resisted strongly.

The French decision puts this policy squarely under the spotlight. Twitter has said it's considering its options - although it'll need to think quickly. The company faces fines of $1,300 per day until it complies.

"This is a historic decision, that has delivered French justice today," says UEJF president Jonathan Hayoun. "It tells the victims of racism and antisemitism that they are not alone, and that the French law that defends them applies everywhere."

Post: #2

This is a French thing. Their government cracks down hard on public statements that are deemed racist or that attack religion. I don't see it as a worldwide, slippery-slope issue. I think Twitter did enough here - they removed the content when made aware of it, but they shouldn't have to be turned into informers.

Post: #3

Slippery slope.

Post: #4

(01-25-2013 10:32 AM)Timoteo Wrote:  This is a French thing. Their government cracks down hard on public statements that are deemed racist or that attack religion.

Is that the same France that banned Muslim women wearing burqas?

Post: #5

(01-25-2013 10:32 AM)Timoteo Wrote:  This is a French thing. Their government cracks down hard on public statements that are deemed racist or that attack religion. I don't see it as a worldwide, slippery-slope issue. I think Twitter did enough here - they removed the content when made aware of it, but they shouldn't have to be turned into informers.

Yeah, this was my first thought too. This is a shitty move, but this kind of stuff happens literally every day in France. It is well established in French law (and the law of just about every European country except maybe Switzerland) that you can fine and jail people for saying politically unpopular things. Of course this is stupid as fuck, but it's nothing new.

Post: #6

(01-25-2013 11:34 AM)MattC Wrote:  

(01-25-2013 10:32 AM)Timoteo Wrote:  This is a French thing. Their government cracks down hard on public statements that are deemed racist or that attack religion.

Is that the same France that banned Muslim women wearing burqas?

Yeah. But they also fined Brigitte Bardot for public statments that were critical of Islam. The designer, John Galliano, lost his job and was fined for public anti-Semitic statements he made.

Here in NY, there was a case where a Sikh man had to go to court against the MTA to allow him to wear his turban at work. These kinds of things pop up here and there, but the French government goes extra hard on these kinds of issues.

Post: #7

we don't have freedom of speech in Europe

Post: #8

(01-25-2013 10:32 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  Slippery slope.

Slippery slope is real. First they normalized divorce, then they normalized spinsterhood, then they normalized having bastard children, then they normalized gay marriage, and now they are normalizing transexuals .

So, I fully expect Twitter to comply eventually and I also expect Europe's speech controls to come to the US. Sensitivity demands it.

Post: #9

(01-25-2013 11:42 AM)bojangles Wrote:  we don't have freedom of speech in Europe

Almost zero, you're right. Everyone is terrified of saying anything politically incorrect, its a police state in terms of having and voicing an opinion.

Post: #10

(01-25-2013 12:12 PM)Teedub Wrote:  

(01-25-2013 11:42 AM)bojangles Wrote:  we don't have freedom of speech in Europe

Almost zero, you're right. Everyone is terrified of saying anything politically incorrect, its a police state in terms of having and voicing an opinion.

America takes back some freedoms though that you don't get in Europe. You can't drink openly in America and doggy style sex is illegal in DC. It's against the law to bang porcupines in Florida.

Post: #11

Ahh the elaborate Liberal institutionalized mechanism to persecute racists and fascists. Why them and not socialists and communists? I think socialists and communists killed more people than racists and fascists did. What gives?

Post: #12

(01-25-2013 11:37 AM)Andy_B Wrote:  It is well established in French law (and the law of just about every European country[...]) that you can fine and jail people for saying politically unpopular things.

It is well established?

What the hell are you talking about?

Here (Netherlands) you can say anything and we led the world to freedom of speech back in the day.

In the USA you have freedom of speech 'zones' or whatever. Joker.

Post: #13

(01-26-2013 11:02 AM)sixsix Wrote:  Here (Netherlands) you can say anything and we led the world to freedom of speech back in the day.

Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Post: #14

(01-26-2013 02:28 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  

(01-26-2013 11:02 AM)sixsix Wrote:  Here (Netherlands) you can say anything and we led the world to freedom of speech back in the day.

Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Face!

Post: #15

(01-25-2013 11:42 AM)bojangles Wrote:  we don't have freedom of speech in Europe

Go to Greece! They talk unbelievable amounts of sexist,racist shit there continuously

Post: #16

We have freedom of speech "zones" in the US? What the fuck is that?

Post: #17

(01-26-2013 02:28 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  

(01-26-2013 11:02 AM)sixsix Wrote:  Here (Netherlands) you can say anything and we led the world to freedom of speech back in the day.

Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Very true!

Post: #18

(01-26-2013 02:28 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Bullshit.

Muslims filed charges of hate speech.

He was prosecuted.

He was acquitted of all charges.

(01-27-2013 02:39 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  We have freedom of speech "zones" in the US? What the fuck is that?

Let Wikipedia be your teacher:

"Free speech zones (also known as First Amendment Zones, Free speech cages, and Protest zones) are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech in the United States. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging... the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The existence of free speech zones is based on U.S. court decisions stipulating that the government may regulate the time, place, and manner—but not content—of expression. A free speech zone is more restrictive than an exclusion zone."

Post: #19

This doesn't mean Europe is perfect. It means:

Europe is extremely heterogeneous, especially regarding laws.

Europe sucks, just like the USA sucks. Both are run by people, which are run by human nature.

Post: #20

(01-27-2013 07:41 AM)sixsix Wrote:  

(01-26-2013 02:28 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Bullshit.

Muslims filed charges of hate speech.

He was prosecuted.

He was acquitted of all charges.

(01-27-2013 02:39 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  We have freedom of speech "zones" in the US? What the fuck is that?

Let Wikipedia be your teacher:

"Free speech zones (also known as First Amendment Zones, Free speech cages, and Protest zones) are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech in the United States. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging... the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The existence of free speech zones is based on U.S. court decisions stipulating that the government may regulate the time, place, and manner—but not content—of expression. A free speech zone is more restrictive than an exclusion zone."

I'm no legal scholar but, isn't it pretty fucked up that some prosecuter decided there was enough evidence to go through with a trial? And, "acquitted" simply means he wasn't found "guilty", which is scary considering that if a different ratio of jurors were present, he very much could have been found guilty.

That doesn't sound like free speech to me.

Post: #21

This is really retarded from a court.

The ones who made those twitter pages are probably just a bunch of young guys looking for attention/ trying to be cool.

Jews,Blacks and arab have been in france for so long now that there is no way a twitter page will create/ promote a racist movement.

It's as if someone in the U.S creates a twitter page making fun of asians driving skills/things white people do/ ghetto black people.

After a while people would eventually get bored of the page and it would vanish by itself.

Instead of letting the hype die,the french court just fed the trolls.

Post: #22

(01-27-2013 07:41 AM)sixsix Wrote:  

(01-26-2013 02:28 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Bullshit.

Muslims filed charges of hate speech.

He was prosecuted.

He was acquitted of all charges.

Are you listening to yourself?

The idea that the prosecution was allowed to move forward is fucking scary. The man should have never been taken to court in the first place.

Whether or not he was acquitted is basically irrelevant. Why should he have to go to court to defend what is supposedly his freedom of speech?

Post: #23

(01-27-2013 12:47 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  

(01-27-2013 07:41 AM)sixsix Wrote:  

(01-26-2013 02:28 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  Unless you're Geert Wilders being charged with "incitement to hatred and discrimination" for making a film criticizing the Islamization of Europe.

Bullshit.

Muslims filed charges of hate speech.

He was prosecuted.

He was acquitted of all charges.

Are you listening to yourself?

The idea that the prosecution was allowed to move forward is fucking scary. The man should have never been taken to court in the first place.

Whether or not he was acquitted is basically irrelevant. Why should he have to go to court to defend what is supposedly his freedom of speech?

Exactly. The fact he was charged and sent to court is enough to imply what he is saying is 'wrong' - this is enough to:
A) Smear him and, by proxy, his views.
B) Scare others into silence.
C) Reestablish the leftist status-quo.

Post: #24

(01-27-2013 02:39 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  We have freedom of speech "zones" in the US? What the fuck is that?

You know how a lot of the European posters love taking jabs at the US on here but have a heart attack when it gets thrown back in their face