[WikiEN-l] Re: Trading with the Enemy

[Delirium]

Anthere wrote:

>
>
> Rick a écrit:
>
>> Where would you suggest?  In France, it's illegal to criticize the 
>> government.  In Germany, it's illegal to display Nazi memorabilia.  
>> In the UK there's the Official Secrets Act to deal with.
>>  
>> RickK
>
>
> May I *seriously* suggest that you consider avoiding libel and 
> comments that might anger your peers RickK ?

Well, according to the World Press Freedom Committee's document "Insult 
Laws: A Insult to Press Freedom" 
(http://www.wpfc.org/site/docs/pdf/Publications/Insult%20Laws-An%20Insult%20to%20Press%20Freedom-1996%20booklet.pdf):

"...the primary form of this crime became known as 'insult to the 
president of the republic,' whose classic form was set in the French 
press law of 1881.  It remains the basic press legislation in France 
today.  The 1881 law also carries serious penalties for insulting 
foreign chiefs of state, foreign ministers or ambassadors of friendly 
countries, and official bodies like parliament, the judiciary, and armed 
forces... Similar provisions are on the books in Austria, Germany, the 
Netherlands, Norway, and Spain."

The report goes on to note that the French law was last actually used 
under Charles de Gaulle in the 1960s, when a spectator was arrested for 
crying out "hoo hoo" at him.  More recently the Sun was threatened with 
a lawsuit for insulting Chirac, though this never materialized.

The report also notes that the French law has served as an example for 
many laws in other countries, especially less-developed countries, and 
especially former French colonies, that *are* enforced, and those 
countries defend their law under "well, France has such laws, so why 
shouldn't we?"

So "illegal to criticize" is going too far, but it's not entirely 
without basis either.

-Mark