“We have constantly been told that this is an enrichment of the country. [They think] problems do not really exist. Problems only exist to the extent that people say there is a problem. So in other words, they want to silence critics because they think — or claim at least — that if they could shut up people like me, the problems would go away.”
As most readers know, Lars Hedegaard, the Chairman of the Danish Free Speech Society, was tried last week on “hate speech” charges for discussing the disproportionate incidence of family rape among Muslim immigrants in Denmark. The verdict came in today, and Mr. Hedegaard has been acquitted of all charges.
This is indeed an occasion for Counterjihad activists to pop the champagne corks. We should, however, retain a measure of our sobriety: this is a partial victory at best. The acquittal of Mr. Hedegaard was based on the fact that his words were not intended to be public, and were thus not covered by the law — the offense defined by the “racism” statute applies solely to public speech.
This law remains on the books in Denmark. Anyone who publicly repeats what Lars Hedegaard said, or says something similar in public, is likely to face the same charges, and may well be convicted and fined.
And this is in Denmark, mind you — a country we all associate with freedom of expression.
Below the jump is a video of an RT interview with Lars Hedegaard. It was released today, but recorded before the verdict was issued:
Hat tip: Henrik.
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