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AN AUSTRIAN COURT has found seven men guilty of neo-Nazi activities and has sentenced them to up to six years in prison.
Prosecution witnesses testified that the men made statements such as “The Fuehrer is always right,” at meetings in their clubhouse, near the Upper Austrian town of Voecklabruck, about 200 km west of Vienna. A video introduced as evidence has some of them shouting “Heil Hitler,” while the clubhouse itself was decorated with Nazi symbols.
Witnesses also said that members were forced to commit various petty crimes by their leaders, two unidentified men who were each sentenced to six-year prison terms. The five others received lighter jail sentences.
The trial ended shortly before midnight on Monday in Wels, a town near Voecklabruck.
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I’m not a nazi nor have I any sympathy with their policies, but surely democracy must guarantee even nazis/neo nazis the right to free assembly and freedom of expression and speech.
There’s a difference between freedom of expression and recruiting to a group dedicated to hatred.
Naziism is the explicit exception in Germany/Austria, for the reason above
I was just going to say that. Just because you dont agree with something, and obviously the crimes committed by the nazis were horrific, you still have the right to express your opinions and views
Not if that opinion is only to incite hatred you don’t.
Dave, we don’t arrest racists and mysoginists for merely having an opinion, we arrest them for inciting not hate, but harm on another person.
Those who are “swayed” by racist arguments were usually racists in the first place or indoctrinated kids.
I am not a SF supporter but…
I just believe that you should always have a right to an opinion regardless of what it is, just as much as everyone else has the right to disagree with that opinion….ya know…like the thumbs down, thumbs up thing.
In all fairness, inciting hate is not an action deserving of arrest. I hate Neo Nazis for example and encourage others to hate them, I think they deserve “harsh education”. Should I be arrested for inciting hate towards Neo Nazis? No. Why? Freedom of expression.
We’ll maybe you should just familiarise yourself a bit more both with the detailed history of nazi crimes in Austria and Germany , understand that they are democratic states and as the headline says that they were found “guilty” , that’s how democracy works , there are laws and courts for a reason , crying boo Hoo the poor neo nazis can’t express their opinion is just kinda bullshit , that’s my opinion.
Freedom of speech is massively valuable but I can understand why it is that both Germany and Austria would have such specific laws – I think we all can.
In saying that, these guys were involved in crime beyond those laws.
Sticking to free speech only, there is a serious issue with curtailing even the most vile opinions. “Vile” is subjective and so a law can be extended to cover other areas. There’s also the unintended consequence that these guys will now be seen as some kind of martyrs which can often galvanise those still at large.
Having a democratic system does not entitle a country to be immune from critique. Of course, feel free to argue against that.
The point is that your Joe Bloggs racist/misogynist won’t usually resort to organised hate crimes á la Hitler like the Neo-Nazis would. The more they are allowed to collude and grow their mini empire, the more likely it is that they will commit dangerous acts of violence and/or murder people of different creeds and race. That is why this particular group should not be allowed freedom of speech.
Who are you to decide who should and should not be entitled to freedom of speech Christina? Is there anyone else you think this basic tenet of freedom should be stripped from? Communists? Sexists? Blacks?
“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all” – Chomsky.
“Blacks” – that’s really p.c.. People who organise hate crimes and plan to murder people from minority groups are not an acceptable part of modern society. Eliminate the hate and spread the love.
Not in Germany or Austria it doesnt..It is specifically mentioned in their constitutions as outawed.
.Go to the evil ol police state USA then,you can yell as many repugnent and idiotic as well as anti American sentiments and opinions ideas as you want and be entitled to do so under the right of freedom of expression in the constitution.
These are very dangerous people indeed, in all forms of support for pure evil
I think most of us can remember our visit of Combat 18 (Aldof Hitler) to Dublin that night well oranised also collaborating with UVF and the likes for pure mahem
thankfully they got a good kickin in the end and haven’t returned since…
these people when identifed should be treated as a threat to everybody and anybody who differs to their mindset
Look, I know that a lot of people are going to trot out the line that these headcases are entitled to free speech etc etc. Yeah, not in Austria or Germany. This is the sole exception and for tens of millions of very good reasons. No right is absolute.
Austrian Nazi, well that’s a first
“Neo nazis” tends to just mean low IQ meat heads, its best just to ignore them or laugh at them, chasing them around the place if they are not committing any crimes just feeds their paranoia
Surely those who spout the rhetoric of Hitler should be given a taste of the punishments he imposed on others? Maybe they would change their tune then? Nice to see these guys off the streets in Austria though. Discounting their Naziism, they were criminals.
Sorry, I mistakenly read Ballymena and British symbols.
Only by allowing these people the right to promulgate & express their ‘views’ can we know who they are, where they are etc. they’re a minority & no matter what that’s what they’ll always be. Shining a light on these people is usually the last thing they want.
No matter how vile an opinion it must be allowed.
maybe not marching down the street screaming heil hitler, but jail sentences certainly shouldn’t be a part of it, by jailing these people we are giving the impression we cannot rationally take apart their arguments.
You never know, a rational debate could sway some members, whereas jail time is only going to reinforce what hatred they had for the establishment.
Exactly.
Using the government as a system of repression is often a bad idea. Governments can often and often do silence others wrongfully.
Obviously judging by the amounts of thumbs down I keep getting everyone here doesnt agree with free speech. The people vs larry flynt comes to mind with this discussion
Only by enforcing fascist laws against freedom of expression, freedom of assembly & freedom of conscience can the rise of neo-fascism be halted. This awful ideology must not be allowed gain traction in modern in society, because if it did, they would try and strip us of our rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly & freedom of conscience – a situation that can never be allowed occur.
Their Fuehrer was far from right in many of his action. This includes his later leadership strategies which ultimately cost them in loosing the war.
have your say