As white supremacists from as far as Canada revel in intimidating Sunshine State residents, critics blast DeSantis for his silence

As white supremacists from as far as Canada revel in intimidating Sunshine State residents, critics blast DeSantis for his silence

  • English MobsterEnglish
    3•10 months ago

    Freedom of speech. Everyone is able to be heard, even if their opinions are distasteful. It’s what the US was built on and why people can fly swastikas and wear klan hoods without being arrested.

    They can only be arrested if they commit a crime, not because their views are horrible. You can walk down the street yelling racial slurs at everyone and that’s perfectly legal as long as you aren’t being violent or inciting others to violence.

    That doesn’t mean society has to tolerate them - counter-protesting is alive and well, and Nazis have been fired from their jobs for their views. But the government can’t arrest them simply for being Nazis.

    • @accideath@lemmy.world
      19•10 months ago

      I mean, we also have freedom of speech here in Germany. There are (harsh) limitations around hate speech and insults but besides that you can say what you want.

      What’s also a definite no are nazi symbols. Swastikas, SS runes, nazi salutes, etc. are only ever allowed in the context of education and art (like period films and as of fairly recently, games).

      We also still do have regular day to day nazis in Germany and sadly the far right party AfD has been growing in numbers over the last few years, taking a lot of inspiration from US republicans in their talking points and rhetoric. Since July they are in a county government for the first time, having only ever been an opposition party until then.

      Germany wasn’t built on the principles of freedom (of speech) but that human dignity is inviolable. That’s Art. 1 of our constitution. Only Art. 2 then defines personal freedom.

    • @Prandom_returns@lemm.ee
      10•10 months ago

      Yelling slurs at people should be conaidered as psychological violence.

      I mean, that’s why a lot of counties have hate speech laws.

    • @Staccato@lemmy.world
      6•10 months ago

      Is “Jews get the rope” an incitement to violence? Because these recent rallies seem to be hitting very close to what are the commonly-accepted limits on free speech in America.

      • Dr. BluefallEnglish
        3•10 months ago

        Unfortunately, it’s limited to “direct, imminent threats of violence”. What we’d consider stochastic terrorism currently skirts by under American law. I wish it were different, but it is not.

      • @SCB@lemmy.world
        3•10 months ago

        Is “eat the rich” or a guillotine reference a call for violence?

        You’re legally allowed to say awful shit, you just can’t act on it, or have a reasonable suspiscion that you may imminently act on it.