German faces jail for 'ironic' remark

[Borg77]

German faces jail for 'ironic' remark

Anti-censorship groups say freedom of speech is at stake

A German man could be jailed for three years over a comment posted on the internet, in which prosecutors say he belittled the events of 11 September.

In a case which critics say has major implications for freedom of speech on the internet, Holger Voss stands accused of "glorification of a criminal act".

Mr Voss, who will appear in court in the western German town of Muenster on Wednesday, insists his comments were meant to be sarcastic.

He had written a final sentence at the foot of his remarks - posted last summer on the Telepolis message board - which he says indicates that the sentiments expressed were not to be taken seriously.

"The court will decide whether he did indeed mean them ironically, and if so, whether or not that makes any difference," court spokesman Juergen Wrobel told BBC News Online.

Anonymous tip-off

The apparently offending remarks were made in response to a message posted by another internet user - Engine_of_Aggression - who appeared to be pleased about the alleged murders of thousands of Taleban fighters by local militias during the downfall of the Afghan regime in 2001.

"Congratulations to the people, who in this over-critical time, dare to grab evil at its root and eradicate it from the face of the earth!" wrote Engine_of_Aggression.

Mr Voss, who describes himself as an anti-militarist, responded:

"Yes, Congratulations to the murderers of 11.09.02.... Good, that on 11.09 a couple of real men (!) found the courage to show the evil ones, the USA how it really is!"

An anonymous complaint to the police led to the prosecution under a German law which forbids the glorification of a criminal act.

In a statement posted on the anti-censorship site Stop24, Mr Voss insists he was attempting to display the hypocrisy in valuing American lives over others.

The suit has also sparked controversy as the prosecution forced the owner of the discussion board to hand over details about Mr Voss.

Source: BBC

Side Note: I don't condone what he said but the fact remains is that will this become a trend in the future in other countries or other message boards or is this just an isolated incident. He did say after his post not to take this seriously. Could this happen on Neowin or any other message board. I hope not. :(

[Phantom Spaceman]

Lets hear it for Totalitarianism (sp?) :angry:

[Fotix]

Well, this is Germany we're talking about. Their governments have one of the most abysmal track records when it comes to freedom of speech. (With the U.S. playing catch-up at times.)

A sad time to live in when giving an opinion is a jailable offense. :wacko:

I believe it was Voltaire who once said "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it." Link

Heck, there's been many times I've vehemently disagreed with people on Neowin, on other forums, and with friends, but I'd never want to put them in jail over their opinions. Dumb...

[intensityx]

Regardless of how anyone else sees it, the Germans have every right to decide what is and is not acceptable in their own society. They do after all elect their own leaders and thus have made the decision for themselves.

It's clear that the Germans have experienced first hand what hatred can do to a country, it's people and others around it. I believe that the Germans are rightly wary of hate speech and the horrible things that it can bring about. I applaud them for that taking a hard stance on hate speech. Unlike (some) Americans they don't believe it is their right to say whatever they want regardless of how hateful, offensive, or immoral it is just for the fun of it.