Comments on: The YouTube dilemma http://antonyloewenstein.com/blog/2008/03/21/the-youtube-dilemma/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:52:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Simon Columbus http://antonyloewenstein.com/blog/2008/03/21/the-youtube-dilemma/#comment-397489 Simon Columbus Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:23:57 +0000 http://antonyloewenstein.com/blog/2008/03/21/the-youtube-dilemma/#comment-397489 The ZdJ (Central Council of the Jews in Germany) is really one of the most dangerous enemies of free speech in Germany. Their definition of antisemitism is often really wide and this suit against Youtube is, to my eyes, a move which is really endangering the right of free expression. Especially German law provides enough ways to discriminate right-wing activists (i.e. denying the holocaust can be punished with two years in jail. That's the as much as you can get for owning child porn!). I'm really no friend of nazi ideology, but even right-wing extremists must be granted their human rights, such as free expression. And then I have to disagree in the "burning man" example: If the man is, for example, an activist burning himself to death to express a message or somebody who gets killed by police forces or military, Youtube should definitely not take the video down! I was one of the first to protest at Youtube when they took down Wael Abbas account, because it was highly problematical that through their move his journalistic and activism work got sabotaged. I would never view these torture videos myself, but I strongly demand my right to be able to. And that's what I demand in case of racist / antisemitic videos as well: I don't want to view them, but I want to be able to. I don't want to be told what's right and what's wrong by some censor. The ZdJ (Central Council of the Jews in Germany) is really one of the most dangerous enemies of free speech in Germany. Their definition of antisemitism is often really wide and this suit against Youtube is, to my eyes, a move which is really endangering the right of free expression. Especially German law provides enough ways to discriminate right-wing activists (i.e. denying the holocaust can be punished with two years in jail. That’s the as much as you can get for owning child porn!). I’m really no friend of nazi ideology, but even right-wing extremists must be granted their human rights, such as free expression.

And then I have to disagree in the “burning man” example: If the man is, for example, an activist burning himself to death to express a message or somebody who gets killed by police forces or military, Youtube should definitely not take the video down!
I was one of the first to protest at Youtube when they took down Wael Abbas account, because it was highly problematical that through their move his journalistic and activism work got sabotaged. I would never view these torture videos myself, but I strongly demand my right to be able to. And that’s what I demand in case of racist / antisemitic videos as well: I don’t want to view them, but I want to be able to. I don’t want to be told what’s right and what’s wrong by some censor.

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