Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Israeli cabinet pushes bill to ban term "Nazi" in protests

Somewhat ironically this response is not the result of protests by leftists or Palestinians but by Ultra Orthodox Jews. However, the bill could be used against any protesters on any topic.
The suggested penalties are draconian. Anyone convicted of the crime could face a six month prison term and $26,000 in fines. The bill would also prohibit Nazi symbols such as the swastika.
 Ultra Orthodox Jews have criticized those objecting to their views on gender segregation by suggesting that Hitler would be proud of the critics. They have also accused secular Israelis of mounting a "spiritual Holocaust"
 Supporters of the bill said that the term "Nazi" and "Holocaust" are special and are not covered by freedom of expression.
  However, the Association for Civil Right in Israel summed up the objections to the bill very well:"Precisely because of the importance and centrality of the Holocaust, the attempt to dictate when and in what context it can be referenced is very problematic," The group went on to say:"This bill seeks in effect to control the public debate, its content and tone, with force, using criminal prohibitions and the threat of prison. Freedom of expression is the right to say harsh, critical and even hurtful things. It is the right to give crude and extreme expression to opinions, emotions and thoughts and it also includes the right to make rhetorical use of difficult and provocative images"
 If the bill does pass it could be used against Palestinians and/or Israeli leftists just as well as Ultra Orthodox Jews. No doubt the latter see the bill as confirmation of their view that the Israeli government persecutes genuine Jews just as did the Nazis. See Haaretz and here.

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