The USA gives Europe so many reasons to feel superior...

[sanabas]

Muslims have the highest birthrate of any demographic in Europe. They are just going to breed you out in about 60 years.

So why is that something to fear?

 

[storealex]

I wonder how much the response has to do with being precious about one's nation - don't say bad things about my home town...

What a cheap shot. You cheeky fellow...

I would prefer though, if we could at least stick to facts, instead of throwing up wild accusations like that.
Fact is that you have no idea what you are talking about, no wonder really, since you're placed on the other side of the world, and obviously have a very selective way of making your opinions.

I can't read the source you presented, it's in German... but I do recognise the name Johnny Hansen, which by the way, you're excellent source can't even spell right.
Johnny Hansen is the leader of the Danish Nazi Party. He is also on the dole, and is most often seen digging holes in the ground - you know, primitive work that you do so that you can collect your welfare... haha... this guy is such a loser. Everytime he moves to a new town, it's inhabitants stands in front of his house and sings peace songs until he get's tired of it and move away.
Now he is the friggen leader of the Danish Nazis (All two hundred, out of five million Danes) and he is nothing but a national joke, a loser on the dole, who would get beaten up daily, were it not for the police who stop anti-Nazis from getting close to him. Everytime there's an election, he tries to get in, but he can't even get the signatures necessary to be on the ballot...
Is this the dangerous threat to out Democracy you are talking about?

And to the funny little examples you come up with:

1. So the midget Nazi group in Denmark talks with other midget groups in other countries. How suprising...
Virtually ALL types communities regulary talks with groups of the same kind in other countries. Especially if there's so few of them, and they're so spread out, that they simply have to go to other countries, in order to find people with the same beliefs.

2. Some German nationalist politician whom I've never heard about, who is also dead, and "might also be considered a little more mainstream" were also in CDU. Wow... that is sooo creepy...

3. 15 years ago, some Nazis were not arrested, even though they dared make a Hitler-salute... again.. wow... They actually did something with their hands, which by the way is legal in many countries in EU, if not most of them...

Yeah dude... I can see your point. All these cases clearly show that Democracy, throughout Europe is in grave danger

Strange that so many European posters might seem to wonder why an American is taken aback by criticism of the USA - and now the shoe is on the other foot - how uncomfortable.

HAH
I criticise Europe all the time. What I can't stand though, is when events are blown out of proportion by people, to give an immage that is far from the truth.

 

[deusdies]

Austria was, as you know, a nazi country, and their goverment is probably afraid of any Jews riot or something, so they are expected to punish it...

 

[CurtSibling]

Mother Superior?

 

[IglooDame]

Yeah, that's a nice ideal, but ufortunately a wrong one. The radicalism shoudn't be tolerated and democracy shouldn't be confused with an opportunity to spread hate. Democracy in its pure form is unstable, almost suicidal government. There has to be some safeguard against the people who want to destroy it. In short, we need the white blood cells to kill the viruses. The question is how to control them to ensure they won't attack the healthy tissue.

It's utterly stupid to allow some radical muslim cleric to teach his followers, that they must fight the godless Western civilisation, because we have the freedom of speach. You can then explain it to the victims of a suicide attack.

"Good morning, sir, I am sorry that your 10 years old son died when a suicide bomber destroyed his school bus. We knew that the bomber was influenced by the radical cleric from the local mosque, but we couldn't arrest him because he had a right to promote terrorism."

If Hitler and his followers had been jailed and executed, the WW2 would have never happened. The German democracy destroyed itself, because it was weak and unwilling to protect itself in the times of crises.

I'd wager that more democracies have destroyed themselves through suppressing "anti-democratic forces" than have been destroyed by those anti-democratic forces. Sure, the Weimar Republic is one example of the latter; I'll think about examples of the former this afternoon.

 

[El_Tigre]

These people have a great deal of power, a great deal of money, and many many friends, including a number of former German Chancellors - at least one according to my memory.

Care to elaborate? This is a very bold claim, can you back it up?

It may be suggested that these people are crackpots of the fringe - but such as Alfred Dregger, as a former mayor of Fulda in Germany, also general secretary of the Christlich-Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union) and member of the ultra-nationalist "Steel Helmet Faction" of the party might also be considered a little more mainstream. That he died in 2002 would not invalidate the point.

For the record, I cannot stand people like Alfred Dregger. However, he was in no way a nazi. Ultra-conservative, yes, nationalistic, yes, but there is a difference between being a nazi and being right-wing. Dregger was a Wehrmacht-apologist and tried to accelerate the discharge of two Wehrmacht generals, but he never endorsed anti-semitism, xenophobia or (neo)nazism.

 

[Alphawolf]

Who is superior? And how can I feel her?

Mother Superior?

My eyes, my eyes!

-the Wolf

 

[plarq]

I'd wager that more democracies have destroyed themselves through suppressing "anti-democratic forces" than have been destroyed by those anti-democratic forces. Sure, the Weimar Republic is one example of the latter; I'll think about examples of the former this afternoon.

The bloodshed in and after the French Revolution destroyed the 1st Republic of France.

 

[Sims2789]

In Europe people are more trusting of government than in the United States. Therefore, they do not quiver at the idea of giving the government the power to regulate speech. Evangelical Christians in the United States are like this too; they support big government by legilating morality beyond "your right to punch ends where my nose begins."

 

[amadeus]

The Nazi party in my country get's a couple of hundred votes only, and when they march, the Police have to protect them or they will get beaten up by people who hate Nazis.

How progressive.

 

[Alphawolf]

How progressive.

I do see a slight moral problem with with beating up Nazis but not with flinging horse turds at them.

-the Wolf

 

[Stapel]

I see many people here being outraged about this Austrian law (Germany has about the same laws by the way, afaik, other European nations have not) that seems to jeapardise the freedom of speech.

The truth is somewhat more complicated.

Basically, I agree with Little Raven. I see no point in making holocaust denial illegal. However, the general idea it sets a dangerous precedent is total bogus either.

As said in this thread, the freedom of speech is not absolute. I can't sit in front of the home of someone I dislike, and infrom him 24/7 about my opinion of him.
So, the freedom of speech must be limited at some point.

When you consider the German/Austrian struggles to live with their past, and when realising freedom of speech is rather about freedom of opinion, than about freedom of telling insulting historical lies, it's all not that much of an issue.

Furthermore, you can't really expect Germans and Austrians to trust the mechanics of freedom of hate-speech. It's partly what has lead to the holocaust.