David Irving arrested in Austria

Actual quotes from David Irving:

"Ridicule alone isn’t enough, you’ve got to be tasteless about it. You’ve got to say things like “More women died on the back seat of Edward Kennedy’s car at Chappaquiddick than in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.” [Applause] Now you think that’s tasteless, what about this? I’m forming an association especially dedicated to all these liars, the ones who try and kid people that they were in these concentration camps, it’s called the Auschwitz Survivors, Survivors of the Holocaust and other liars, A-S-S-H-O-L-E-S. Can’t get more tasteless than that, but you’ve got to be tasteless because these people deserve our contempt."
--- said by Irving

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Irving has also become less discreet in using anti-Jewish language. He has referred to Jews as “Shylocks” and “our traditional enemy” and has dwelled on the “international Jewish conspiracy” against him; he says the “big lie” of the Holocaust is “designed to distract attention from even bigger crimes than what the Nazis did…designed to justify, both in arrears and in advance, the bigger crimes in the financial world and elsewhere that are being committed by the survivors of the Holocaust.”
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Irving has made some notably racist remarks as well. In a 1994 diary entry (revealed in his court proceedings against Deborah Lipstadt in 1999), Irving memorialized a poem he composed for his young daughter (which is, according to Irving, appropriate to use “when halfbreed children are wheeled past”):

I am a Baby Aryan
Not Jewish or Sectarian
I have no plans to marry an
Ape or Rastafarian.
Difficult to see this as much anything but hate speech.
 
And BTW, I know neonazis quite well; I have a big scar on my neck from one trying to kill me, I've ..... interacted with quite a few (translation: I've argued with them and/or literally kicked their asses).

For some inexplicable reason, I've already decided that I like you. :D
 
This is just plain ignorant. Simply saying "I'm going to assassinate the president" is not illegal. See, I just did it. How long before I can expect the black ops troops to kick in my door, Gurdur?

But trying to form an organisation with the goal of assassinating the president is illegal.
 
Actually, this is wrong. Not only has Irving addressed neonazi rallies, his public speeches very often do constitute hate-speech. It may be a mild form, but it's still there. Here are some links about Irving and the libel judgment against him.

Let's take a minute to examine things. Hate Laws don't recognize the existence of mild or hard hate speech. Hate speech that leads to legal troubles( at least in most countries) is something very specific;advocating murder.

Do you have a transcript that proves that David Irving has ever advocated the murder of jewish or any other group of people?

Nazis for example in their printed material and in their graffities do exacetly that; they advocate the murder of the jews,immigrants and black people.
As you said yourself, neonazis many time resort to violence and most of them have violated the whole of the criminal code of their countries multiple times.

For those who don't know it, in the last edition of his book " Hitler's Wars" Irving doesn't mention the word Holocaust or genocide even once. This hardly constitutes hate speech though.
 
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The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg

Mark Twain wrote a short story called The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg. Town was renowned for its honesty. Motto was Lead Us Not Into Temptation.

A Hadleyburgian (Hadleyburgite? Hadleyburgundian?) did some unnamed injury to a stranger, who vowed revenge, not just on the person who wronged him, but the entire town. He decided to go for its weakest point. He quickly figured out that Hadleyburg was such an honest town because its citizens never let temptation cross its path. Its honesty had never been really tested.

He then proceeded to get every prominent person in town publicly implicated in a complex swindle, to the mortification of evryone who lived there.

The town is wiser now. It has revised its motto. It has been modifed to read Lead Us Not Into Temptation.

Europeans have learned the lesson of Naziism, apparently. They are apparently so fearful that they'll turn to Naziism again, they forbid anyone to speak favorably of the Nazis, lest they be tempted.

Over here, we let the Nazis have parades and dress up in their silly uniforms and preach their filth to any and all who will listen. I guess we're not concerned that by allowing Nazis in our midst, we'll become like them. We reject Naziism by choice, not by compulsion.

That having been said, if Irving doesn't like the laws of the countries he visits, and can't help breaking them when he does visit, then he has nothing to complain about. Mrs. BPSCG and I like a beer now and then. So it's unlikely we'll ever move to Saudi Arabia (plus she likes to spout off more than the Saudis are willing to tolerate from a woman...). I may think their alcohol laws are stupid, but they're their laws. I may think Austria's anti-Nazi laws are stupid, but they're their laws.
 
Let's take examine things. Hate Laws don't recognize the existence of mild or hard hate speech. Hate speech that leads to legal trouble is something very specific;advocating murder.
Hmmmm? The actual laws in question are the Austrian laws, followed by the German laws (seeing as to how Irving has been banned from entering Germany), the Canadian laws (seeing as to his legal problems there), the Bristish laws (seeing as to how he lost his libel lawsuit there) and the NZ laws (seeing as to how he was banned from entering NZ).
Those are the actual laws in question, and the ones Irving controvenes. Very very specific to the OP, Irving controvened the law on "revivalism" in Austria and the Holocaust denial laws in Germany.
As to whether this all constitites hate speech: Irving's actual words on Jews would constitute incitement and anti-semtic speech in Germany, so basically his words constitute hate speech there. Which is why, incidentally, he is banned from re-entering Germany.
 
Europeans have learned the lesson of Naziism, apparently. They are apparently so fearful that they'll turn to Naziism again, they forbid anyone to speak favorably of the Nazis, lest they be tempted.
If you exclude Germany that has really severe laws against any extreme groups what you say if far from accurate. People are not forbidden to talk about nazism,they can't advocate murder.
 
...snip...

Over here, we let the Nazis have parades and dress up in their silly uniforms and preach their filth to any and all who will listen. I guess we're not concerned that by allowing Nazis in our midst, we'll become like them. We reject Naziism by choice, not by compulsion.

...snip...[/B] laws.

It depends which European country you are talking about I believe it is only Germany and Austria that have such laws and then I think they are specific to "original Nazis".
 
If you exclude Germany that has really severe laws against any extreme groups what you say if far from accurate. People are not forbidden to talk about nazism,they can't advocate murder.
I didn't say they were forbidden to speak about Naziism. I said they were forbidden to speak favorably of it. Or is that also incorrect?
 
Europeans have learned the lesson of Naziism, apparently. They are apparently so fearful that they'll turn to Naziism again, they forbid anyone to speak favorably of the Nazis, lest they be tempted.
BTW, you have not dealt at all with my points on the limitations to free speech always being there, and you're wrong; it's not so people won't be tempted, it's so those already active cannot advance their agenda. Too bad for them.
 
I don't understand how you think that you will manage to build an argument by moving the goal posts but since we talk about a matter of constitutional principle you can move the goalposts to the moon and still lose the game. :)

Let's have a closer look though.

Hmmmm? The actual laws in question are the Austrian laws, followed by the German laws (seeing as to how Irving has been banned from entering Germany), the Canadian laws (seeing as to his legal problems there), the Bristish laws (seeing as to how he lost his libel lawsuit there) and the NZ laws (seeing as to how he was banned from entering NZ).
Those are the actual laws in question, and the ones Irving controvenes. Very very specific to the OP, Irving controvened the law on "revivalism" in Austria and the Holocaust denial laws in Germany.

So, are you trying to persuade me about my own claims? :) This is what I have been trying to explain to you that societies do try to define what is not protected by the free speech. As I posted previously, Germany has an exceptional and particular status and are you sure that he wasn't just named as a "persona non grata" in the other countries?
As to whether this all constitites hate speech: Irving's actual words on Jews would constitute incitement and anti-semtic speech in Germany, so basically his words constitute hate speech there. Which is why, incidentally, he is banned from re-entering Germany.
You can keep bringing the example of Germany. What does it prove? That Germans are more sensitive towards Nazis. In Germany even the Protocols are illegal.
 
. We reject Naziism by choice, not by compulsion.
You are also wrong here in your implied argument. The laws of Germany and Austria were decided by the people; therefore they rejected Naziism and allowance of revivalism or Holocaust denial by choice, not compulsion.

The fact that some will break laws is simply a human universal. Or would you like to try claiming that in the USA people reject murder and burglary by choice, not by compulsion? Silly argument. Once the laws are democratically made, as in Germany or in Austria, they are there by choice of the electorate.
 
So, are you trying to persuade me about my own claims?
Nope, I pointed out your own definition of "hate speech" simply does not apply. What I pointed out to you was that a different definition applied to David Irving in those countries.
You can keep bringing the example of Germany. What does it prove?
It proves the point of what laws actually apply and what definitions of hate speech are relevant.
:)
 
One could argue that it violates free speech (it does). But strangely, I don't care :D

Zee

You should. Being persecuted for his beliefs allows this guy paint himself a martyr. I say it's better to let trash like this speak loudly and clearly so they can be publicly denounced just as loud and clear.
 
I didn't say they were forbidden to speak about Naziism. I said they were forbidden to speak favorably of it. Or is that also incorrect?

Honestly,I can't give you a "yes" or " no" answer to that and I will explain why. You can publish an essay claiming ( careful, I am just bringing an example here!!!) that Nazism contributed vastly in the invention of new drugs and in the biological and anthropological studies.

As a proud american you must know how american pharmaceuticals industries made millions out of Bayer's patents by not allowing Bayer and other German companies to secure their patents...

If you publish that nothing bad will happen to you.

If you claim that the genocides of the jews,gypsies,handicapped and others was a good deed then, you might get in legal trouble but it depends on the wording and the content.
 
You should. Being persecuted for his beliefs allows this guy paint himself a martyr. I say it's better to let trash like this speak loudly and clearly so they can be publicly denounced just as loud and clear.
This makes the mistake of thinking that Irving's claims are not discussed in the countries which forbid advocation of Holocaust denial or revivalism. That is a huge misunderstanding of the situation --- claims such as Irving's are very often discussed very openly and refuted openly.
There is a big difference between discussion and advocation.
 

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