"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Friday, April 27, 2012

DANISH COURTS MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISION NOT TO CONVICT LARS HEDEGAARD

Melanie Phillips reports that not all is rotten in Denmark, as:
...the Danish Supreme Court ruled last Friday that he was not guilty after all of hate speech and racism – the second time he has been acquitted of this charge in a roller-coaster of a case which has stained Denmark’s reputation for justice, free speech and common-sense.
Hedegaard's problems began when he cited the frightening number of cases of violent abuse against women in Muslim communities in Denmark, and it's still very possible that this kind of lawfare persecution will continue. As Hedegaard himself stated following his acquittal:
‘Article 266b, under which I was charged, remains unchanged. It remains a disgrace to any civilised society and is an open invitation to frivolous trials. Thus, we still have no right to refer to truth if we are indicted under this article.

‘There have been several attempts to make 266b conform to normal standards of justice but successive governments and parliamentary majorities have steadfastly refused.’
And so long as it remains, there's every reason to be concerned that it'll continue to be used. I don't know what the article numbering is for similar laws countries like France, but so long as their own libel laws - like the one used against Phillipe Karsenty - remain in place, that's why there too, it's a serious problem. Those alleged laws have no place in any sane society, and every effort should be made to form the opposition movements needed to abolish them. It's alarming just how long they've been around (in France, they were there well before the Dreyfus trial), and the time for abrogating them is long overdue.

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