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The thing about Europe: it's the actual land of the free now

(www.economist.com)
160 points cruzcampo | 1 comments | 11 Apr 25 08:04 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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snehk ◴[11 Apr 25 08:42 UTC] No.43651672[source]▶
> Yet to many Europeans the idea that free expression is under threat seems odd. Europeans can say almost anything they want, both in theory and in practice.

A journalist in Germany was just sentenced to seven months for posting a meme of a politician where she holds up a sign saying "I hate free speech".

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/nancy-faeser-afd-...

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1. moefh ◴[11 Apr 25 09:06 UTC] No.43651872[source]▶
> The court concluded that Bendels had altered the lettering and deliberately created the impression that the Interior Minister had made a corresponding statement on freedom of expression.

> [...]

> What is left unmentioned, however, is that the trial only took place because Bendels previously refused to pay a fine of 210 daily rates imposed by the same district court in November.

So I don't see "sentenced to seven months for posting a meme of a politician where she holds up a sign saying 'I hate free speech'".

What I see is "mislead people into thinking the politician said something she did not, and then refused to pay the fine imposed by the court".