A German court convicted holocaust denier and anti-semite, Ernst Zundel, of 14 counts of incitement of racial hatred and sentenced him to five years in prison.
The First Amendment of The United States Constitution would have protected Mr. Zundel in America. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Germany argued that in addition to violating their law on incitement, Mr. Zundel was a threat to national security. The American law offers one of the most broad freedom of speech protections in the world. The right to call the President “Hitler” or call for the assassination of the Vice President does not exist in most of the world.
Freedom of Speech is closely related to Freedom of Information and has a similar effect on a society. A society that allows criticism of all government actions and private actions is likely to be a stronger society. The best arguments tend to win out over time even though time may extend over decades. (Think of the flat earth debate of the 15th century, the slavery debate of the 19th century, or today’s global warming debate.)
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