Reuters: France's Le Pen to stand trial for Nazi remarks

[Eugene]

France's Le Pen to stand trial for Nazi remarks
Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:58 PM BST

PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen will face trial
for saying the Nazi occupation of France during World War Two had not been
"particularly inhumane", a judicial source said on Wednesday.

The conservative government, anti-racism organisations and Jewish groups
sharply condemned Le Pen's comments last year, when they were published
in an interview with right-wing weekly magazine Rivarol.

"In France, at least, the German occupation was not particularly inhumane,
although there were some blunders, inevitable in a country of 550,000 sq km,"
Le Pen had said.

French anti-racism laws have made denying the Holocaust a crime, punishable
by fines or prison.

<snip>

Full article: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-07-12T185813Z_01_L12791807_RTRUKOC_0_UK-FRANCE-LEPEN.xml

[Redstone]

1. About time they nailed that despicable asshole.

Redstone

[Selatius]

2. In standing up for freedom of speech, I can't accept his going to trial

In the US we have the 1st Amendment that protects the freedom of speech of everybody except where human life might be endangered. Yes, it protects the ability of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis to express their hatred, but it also protects the freedom of people to voice their opposition to that hatred. If we decide one group should not enjoy the same rights as everybody, we put ourselves on a very slippery slope.

[rsr1771]

3. Free Speech should prevail

Free Speech means nothing if it doesnt protect an individual's right to hold offensive beliefs. Im glad the US hasn't gone down this path, at least as of yet.

[Jim Sagle]

8. It's in France, not the USA. Don't they get to run their own affairs?

[PittPoliSci]

4. didn't he just get out of prison not that long ago?

[Endangered Specie]

5. as much as id like to see him rotting in prison...

imo freedom of speech covers this and even more vile statements...

btw didnt he get 20% of the vote in his prez run?

[nebula]

6. Hate speech should not be free speech.

Regardless if you agree or not, Americans should not try to impose its standards of free speech or anything else on another nation. That's just plain arrogance. The laws of a another nation should be respected.

[President Kerry]

7. I disagree. Nations are free to choose any kind of government and

laws they want, of course, but free speech is a unique characteristic of democracy. For a democratic country to deny its citizens free speech/expression is being disingenuous about democracy. That said, there are special cases, mostly due to history (particularly WWII), where limitations are justified and accepted by majority. That is particularly evident in Germany and Austria.

[David__77]

9. Trial? I'd prefer the "town-square-lynching" option.

I don't believe a trial is necessary when dealing with fascists.

[Marie26]

10. This isn't right.

Even idiots should have a right to free speech, IMO. But then, the US hasn't lived through the horrors of WWII to the same extent France has, so I understand why France has enacted these laws.