The Problem With NazisCzech freedom of expression laws shouldn't apply to white supremacists spreading messages of hatred and violence
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This article was written in response to recent Nazi and white supremacist activities in the Czech Republic, in areas and at times when Jews and others were honoring those who suffered under Hitler and in the Holocaust during World War II. The man who got on the train wearing a black beret could have been a Scottish knife-salesman or an American bartender or a French photographer, but he wasn't and we found this out before he even sat down on the mostly empty 20 tram on an especially mild winter Sunday evening. When he starting mock-bowing and mispronouncing something that sounded like "Allahu akbar," I thought that he was making salutations to someone at the back of the tram car or even outside. It took me a moment to realize that he was directing this at a slim, bronze-skinned man sitting across the aisle from us. The second man, who could have been a native of at least 75 percent of the countries on this planet, looked ahead without any change in expression, as if he expected something like this to happen. The man in the beret continued by displaying several sheets of white paper with writing on them, stapled at the top like homework assignments in high school. But these papers had single words written on them, unintelligibly scribbled in blue pen. I saw that he had written "Hitler", some numbers and a swastika. He continued mumbling to himself and pointing frantically at the pages he held up, and continued to hold up for at least 10 minutes. For a moment, I thought he might be mentally ill. I ended up being correct, but not in the sense that he had a physical or mental disability. No, it was more like that special kind of retarded mental growth called Nazism. The victim of this charade continued to sit there in silence, deliberately thinking of nicer things. The man on the tram then turned to my wife and me, proudly proclaiming his Aryan roots, babbling something about Jews and blacks and calling Czechs pieces of filth and plunderers of the Fatherland of Germany. A proud Nazi he was. Yet this guy was riding a tram in Prague, alone, with stains on his pants, speaking not German, but Czech, hiding out here from a larger country that would surely imprison him for what he felt at complete leisure to do here. We on the tram ignored him and pretended nothing was happening. In Germany and Austria, it's illegal to hold Nazi/white supremacist events, display paraphernalia or symbols, or incite such messages. So, as we've seen twice in the last three months, we have Nazis coming over here to spread the hate (only to be completely overwhelmed by police -- some of whom are also Nazis, as we've been hearing). Nazis act like the Holocaust never killed tens of millions of people, but Hitler already succeeded in doing all the stuff they talk about! But, that's the problem with a Nazi; they never listen, they don't use reason, they can't be compelled to change their ideas and they are dangerous physically and on a genetic level for all of humanity. Although most of these people are too feeble-minded and brainwashed to even come off as arrogant, they are dangerous. Nazism and hatred is like the syphilis Hitler contracted from a German prostitute -- it travels along, quietly spreading and infecting people who cannot resist. Any casual glance at Google will show you staggering allegations that Nazis and white supremacists are infiltrating the police and the military all over the world, shamefully hiding the swastika they seem so proud to brandish like an infested wound at their rallies. (Oh, oh, could I go to one if I shaved my head and knocked out a few teeth and brain cells?) This is how they are getting weapons in their hands, and training to hurt others. In a New York Times article from July 7th, 2006, we see part of a tirade published by a white supremacist, allegedly a former Special Forces officer in the US military: "Light infantry is your branch of choice because the coming race war and the ethnic cleansing to follow will be very much an infantryman's war," he wrote. "It will be house-to-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood until your town or city is cleared and the alien races are driven into the countryside where they can be hunted down and 'cleansed.' " He concluded: "As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army with skinheads. As street brawlers, you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen, you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood."’ My questions are simple: Why does the Czech Republic have a problem with outlawing organized campaigns of intolerance without reducing human rights at the same time? When did this "fine line" suddenly appear between common decency and spreading messages of hatred and violence under the invisible cloak of "freedom of expression"? Who says it is so difficult to pass legislation to prevent and ban the organized and methodical creation of hate that is specifically targeted against certain people who can, so the Nazis believe, be identified as belonging to that population? If some group were to say that they viciously hate all midnight-snackers -- while simultaneously and proudly denying that midnight snacking does not exist and never did exist (i.e., Holocaust deniers) -- it would be difficult to discern who is who. Indeed, if Nazis were just a bunch of pasty, white hicks that bad-mouthed Jews and dark-skinned people while hammering together a zero-emission car that cured cancer and was also an iPod time-machine, we might overlook their benighted, ridiculous outlook on the nature of existence in this world. "Weirdoes" or "assholes", we might call them. But the second they take to the streets with pride on days that are of special significance to people who have already suffered at the hands of the dogs these idiots call heroes, something must be done. Something a little more strategic than just amassing every cop in Prague or Plzeň and all the villages nearby to shut them down. If that is our current answer to Nazis now, what are we going to do later? The 1990s phrase "kill it with a skillet" comes to mind, and I agree. Ban all activities and physical acts that involve or incite hatred and punish those involved severely. (Is a forehead brand that says, "Nazi Scum" too severe?) The Czech Republic wouldn't be the first, as we've seen with two of our bordering neighbors. One person’s free speech or freedom of expression ends immediately when it infringes on the rights of another. Bob Marley's son, Ziggy, says, "Love is my religion." That's a good place to start. READERS' COMMENTS "Given the total lack of any logic in this 'article' I can only assume that the writer has never attempted to construct an argument on paper before. I suppose that this is the end product of an educational system which favours self-esteem and 'originality' over everything else. "Hint: do some basic research next time. A proper argument needs facts rather than just emotion: unfortunately this involves a bit of work." Margot Winston February 8th, 2008 "There are times when freedom of expression is not what is questioned but common sense and decency. A person who is unable to except the rights of another because of a different skin tone, religion or hairdo should not only debate his freedom of expression, such should not exist in the 21st century society." Dasa, "the Czech scum" February 9th, 2008 "Free speech has no other choice but to apply in every situation. It is a fundamental truth that the laws of the land regarding freedom of expression must apply to everyone, and any action to silence those with views that run contrary to our own will be used to silence us all. The laws regarding free speech, at their core, must apply especially to those we do not want to hear." Dwight Ledet February 10th, 2008 "The other comments seem to condone racism and hate-mongring, and it makes me very sad for those people. If you don't take a stand against hate, it will only continue to grow and infect a society like a cancer. While on the one hand, I do acknowledge any person's right to free speech, what about the man on the train's right to be free from fear? If you want to preserve the right to free speech for future generations, then you have to set boundaries for how it can be used, to prevent it being used maliciously among society. Because otherwise, that message of hate can be used to oppress the freedoms and rights of others.." Audrey February 18th, 2008 "If we talk about free expression without limit, What about free action without limit?" Anders Alex February 19th, 2008 "Audrey, yours is the only inteligent response of all that crap written before you." ivana February 20th, 2008 "Dear Margot, maybe you could express yourself a little more precisely. What exactly needs to be researched; the amount of Jewes killed by nazis, the message of hate they were and still are trying to spread or maybe the plan Hitler had with all Slavic nations after II. world war. Maybe the Czech Hitler supporters should dust their knowledge of history and so should you despite it probably coming a 'proper educational system'" Dasha March 1st, 2008 • The views expressed in this article are the author's own and don't necessarily represent the views of Prague TV or Real Time Productions |
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February 8th, 2008