this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023
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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Does France have free speech protections? Seems like this would be unconstitutional in the US, but not sure what laws exist there.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They have freedom of the press, but no freedom of speech they way it is guaranteed through the US constitution. in fact they have laws against hate speech and antisemitism.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Interesting, it would seem one can support a Palestinian state and oppose retaliation against innocent Palestinian civilians for the actions of an extremist group without being engaged in hate speech or antisemitism, however much the west really struggles with this concept.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They know which side they stand on and they want all their citizens to align to it.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If that’s their justification then did they forget what democracy is about? It’s quite literally the opposite of having the government determine the people’s stance.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

They're democratic, just not particularly pluralistic. Everybody's gotta be culturally French, very tyranny of the majority types.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Because it’s a stick to beat Muslim citizens with. It’s what all conservative French governments have been doing for the last 15 years, more or less openly depending on Le Pen’s (father or daughter) polling numbers. Darmanin is about as anti-Muslim pro-police-state as they come.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

"Freedom of speech" as it's known in the US is slightly misnamed. It's more accurately "freedom from government regulation of speech", and the EU doesn't really have the same protections.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They have a lot of things that can be set on fire. That's a form of free speech protection.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

More importantly, they have a police force that won't massacre protesters.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They shelled our peaceful protest in southern California with tear gas mortars. Peaceful protest isn't even de facto legal in the US.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

Lol there is nothing about this comment that isn't over the top dramaticism.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Most European countries do have free speech protections, but with much more limitations than in the US. (IIRC the US would also not allow e.g. speech calling for a lynch mob, as long as it's specific enough.)

Various forms of hate speech, including support for terrorist organizations, are covered by those. Terrorist usually isn't just what the government dislikes; it usually requires (or is subject to review by) a court decision.

There are obvious arguments against such rules, but there are very few social benefits to letting people support literal child murdering terrorists, call for the lynching of certain groups of people, claim that the Holocaust never happened and should be repeated (sic), or just march up and down the street in Nazi uniforms showing off their right arms much to the dismay of any survivors, their descendants, and the people who would be next on the list.

The main risk is the government abusing its power to ban all anti-government protests. Europe has decided that this risk is small enough with all checks and balances in place to be worth the social benefit. The US has decided otherwise.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

IIRC the US would also not allow e.g. speech calling for a lynch mob, as long as it's specific enough.

Participation in a lynvh mob is illegal, but calling for one I don't believe has been tested in court and would likely not pass judicial review (IANAL).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Trump has been calling for violence regarding his many court cases, and has since been put under a gag order. Calls for violence do not seem to be protected under the 1st amendment.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You can't loose your rights in the US without due process. Trump is under a gag order after a valid due process made it so.