Saturday, March 15, 2008

No Free speech in Sweden

And truth is certainly not a defence

"A man who displayed a placard accusing immigrants of group rape at an anti-racism rally has been convicted of agitation against an ethnic group. A March 2007 rally organized in the south west coast town of Angelholm by SSU, the youth wing of the Social Democratic Party, the man was seen holding a sign reading, "While Swedish girls are being group raped by immigrant gangs the SSU is fighting racism."

The man was arrested and eventually indicted on charges of agitation against an ethnic group, according to the Helsingborgs Dagblad newspaper. During his trial, the man claimed he simply wanted to point out the absurdity of holding a demonstration against racism and hoped the sign would spark debate. He asserted he was simply expressing an opinion, which is a right afforded to him under the European Convention on Human Rights.

But District Prosecutor Lars Danielsson disagreed, arguing that the man "expressed disrespect for a group of people with reference to their national or ethnic background." The court agreed with Danielsson, fining the man 4000 kronor ($650)."

Source