Should Holocaust denial be a criminal offense?

[Marokai Backbeat]

No, it should be treated with ridicule and contempt, but not as a criminal matter.

^ And the thing is, it very much is treated this way among 99% of people, which makes the argument that it should be against the law moot. The only reason some form of speech should be against the law is if it's causing real demonstrable harm and is so widespread that it can't be contained through informal means.

You don't ban everything you dislike even if it is absurd and contemptible. Not just because of some idealistic liberal principles, but because you usually don't even need to. Not having holocaust denial against the law in this country hasn't led to widespread belief that it's not real in the same way that not banning KKK rallies didn't stop them from disintegrating and becoming completely irrelevant and powerless. In fact, it would be more likely in the case of holocaust denial that it would have the opposite effect.

[Marokai Backbeat]

But they were necessary for the de-Nazification process Germany went through after WWII.  Take a look at Japan for a counterexample, where they didn't have that same sort of national reckoning, and where their attitude towards their history is... shall we say, less healthy and less honest.

It really depends on the context.  In general, it's best to keep free speech protections as wide as possible, but there are cases where exceptions are necessary.

Sure, I have no issue with the exception based on that context, though I would question how much a relic of de-Nazification process has relevance in 2015 even if it was the right move back then.

[Marokai Backbeat]

The entire purpose of free speech is to protect people who you disagree with...

It seems like literally none of our leftist European posters understand this concept.

One of the things that has sadly left me feeling a bit estranged from the Left over the last year is realizing exactly how many people of that political persuasion are just as comfortable throwing away the rights of people they just don't like as much as the Right can be.

A free, liberal democracy only works when you protect the rights of the contemptible as well as the noble. If you open the door to censoring things based on your tastes you legitimize that tactic against yourself down the road. And there is no real defense when you deem arbitrary bulls**t subjective tastes fair game as a justification.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I have no love for those activist types for the most part at all, but I think assuming they would set up reeducation camps is a skosh over the top.