Why should it be criminal to disagree over the Holocaust???

Zambia
December 21, 2006 11:42pm CST
The West brags about freedom of speech, of opinion and what-have-you. But I note that a good number of them have made it a criminal offence for someone to just differ in opinion on the existence or extent of the Nazi Holocaust. Why can't one be let alone to stand by their belief? Why force someone to accept what one, in their opinion, think is not tenable? I personally think the Holocaust was exaggerate somehow. Of course, for a purpose!
4 people like this
22 responses
@smrohitsm (231)
• India
31 Jan 07
Both the holocaust anf the prophets carton incidents were disgusting. Denying the holocause or drawing cartoons of a prpohet is wrongful exploitation of freedom of speech/expression. Would u accept somebody abbusing ur parents and asking u not to react coz its his/her freedom of expression?? Freedom of expression should also take into account the sentiments of other people, else it is ofcourse criminal.
1 person likes this
@feralwoman (2199)
• Australia
23 Dec 06
I didn't know it was a criminal offense to disagree with whether the holocaust actually happened or not. Coming from a German background, believe me it did happen.
@BrendaA (365)
• United States
22 Dec 06
Its not only the surviors that exist and the documentation, you are saying that a good portion of the world is lying. How about the other countries that fought in this war, and all the soldiers from different countries. This whole issue is really dumb. I really do not understand the purpose of denying something that was.
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
22 Dec 06
U are allowed to belive what you want, but with all the documentation they actually have on it, and all the proof that it actually took place i think it is stupid to not see that it was true. and people who disagree and say that it is just made up are usually the nazis themself.
1 person likes this
@shajeer (35)
• India
22 Dec 06
may be the holocast a real incident or not, it is not fair that an opinion will turn in to a crime when u disagree with the holocast.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
23 Dec 06
But its not something that you can have an opinion about. It happened, end of story. You can have an opinion about it being wrong I suppose. It's like if you went around telling people the sky is not blue, it is neon green. You'd get funny looks at first, and then you'd be thrown in the funny farm eventually.
@shogunly (1397)
• Libya
6 Feb 07
What if a person is color-blind ?
@Naseem00 (1996)
• Pakistan
7 Feb 07
Oheah, that sure sounds like freedom of speech to me!
@MrNiceGuy (4141)
• United States
22 Dec 06
yeah, its just hate speech. It all revolves around anti-semitism. Also, its to outlaw such absurd points so they cant be used to rile people up. When its so easily proven and there is no chance it didn't happen, its ridiculous to let the Holocaust Conspiracies live. Its just obvious it happened.
@shogunly (1397)
• Libya
5 Feb 07
Anything TRUE needs no legislation to preserve it . Also , it never happened in History that disbelief in an incident was considered criminal . Legislation usually designed to protect SAFETY and PROPERTY ,this story represents safety and property to Israel , it allows them to exact heavy compensation from europe . It's kind of like some Beggars would Voluntarily cut themselves to get sympathy and support and money from others . If that were not true , then we would have seen other SACRED beliefs protected this way , but we don't . Only money can possibly be the motive behind this behavior , not historical conscientiousness !
@Naseem00 (1996)
• Pakistan
7 Feb 07
There were roamers of holocaust even after the WWI. It is really nothing but a drama. Exactly the way shogunly said. A way to get sympathy. nd yes there have been other such incidents, occured to people of other faiths. but they didnt get any attention or sympathy. The red indians were completely eliminated of the face of earth but to date nobody has spoken for them. Muslims were massacred during the crusades and also in spain. But we do not find anycompansation to these people. JEWS ARE REALLY SPECIAL PEOPLE!! HUH
• United States
23 Jan 07
You are right, but why make it a crime to speak of an unpopular opinion? That is the point of this discussion. It would make more sense to ignore those idiots then to bring more attention to them. And jailing people for speech is just plain wrong, I don't care what they said.
1 person likes this
@birthlady (5609)
• United States
23 Dec 06
It is not a crimminal offense in the USA to disagree with the existance or extent of the Nazi Holocaust, its just ignorant! The first ammendment allows for rational expression of personal opinion, even for someone like you, who is foolish enough to disbelieve in the Holocaust! Exaggerated? NOT! What purpose is there in exaggerating genocide?
• Malaysia
22 Dec 06
History is written by those who won and apparently the ones who won the war, thinks that to say that the Holocaust was exaggerated or to disagree over it is wrong.. very wrong that you can be charged in court for it. Just to show the extent on how 'some' people wants to be seen as the victims.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
23 Dec 06
In this case, the ones who lost provide much of the evidence and also agree on the numbers and what happened.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I think it's like hate speech. Yes, we have free speech. But when something is just plain offensive to basically everyone, it's not permitted. This isn't like a freedom of belief. It's pretty clear that the Holocaust did exist. There are still survivors around, there are photographs, and there are documents. This isn't like saying, "Well you can believe in God even though we really don't know if that's real or not". This is something that happened and should never have to happen again.
• Pakistan
22 Dec 06
oh realy?!?!?! then wat abt the cartoons of our Prophet the damn problem is that no1 would even recognise it as offensive while jews ooooooo nooooooo they r some special...so sensitive then ive got a question for all those sympathetic to the damn zionists what do u call what israel has been doing in Arab lands for half a century n esp what Sharon did as a general in the Lebanon refugee camps a decade ago? ok the holocaust was brutal and jews got kicked by other nations too in the past maybe they didnt deserve it then but they sure deserve it now n so do those who help them in their ocupation n constantly deny n keep on helping them by every possible way till date
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
23 Dec 06
Cartoon still poke fun at Jewish people. They just don't say that events that existed never happened. And NO ONE deserves anything like what happened in the Holocaust to happen to them.
• United States
23 Dec 06
I am sorry documented fact bothers you. The Nazi Party was very good at documenting everything. Records were very important to them, and their own records are what the numbers are based upon. As for the 'Jews' being so 'special', I really can't see why anyone would think this is so. This is not a political arena nor is it meant to be. Most of us do not chose policy and often those who chose to represent us persue a policy we would rather not. I was recently reading about the Nazi Party's plans for northern Africa once they had 'things settled' in Europe. Since it seems someone always has to blame someone or some group. Go ahead and blame me. After all, I am part of the smallest minority on earth.
@lucy02 (5015)
• United States
23 Dec 06
i don't understand what you're talking about. Who has been arrested because the disagreed that their was a Holacaust. I mean I think most people with a brain know their was a Holacaust but as far as I know nobody has been arrested for disagreeing.
• India
23 Dec 06
what do u think is the purose?
@albert2412 (1782)
• United States
23 Dec 06
I notice that so many people think that it all right to do away with our basic rights to free speech as guaranteed under the United States Constitution. Freedom of speech and thought should be a basic human right guananteed to all people, regardless of where they live. If we give away our right to say that the Holocaust did not exist, who is to say that someday someone will not take away your freedom of religion or decide that you should be killed because you have a disability? All basic human riights should protected for everyone, even those with whom we disagree.
@amitheone (274)
• Philippines
23 Dec 06
It really depends on the content of the message whether it stirs up a riot and provokes the peace of a country. One leader might say anything they want, but when it involves the peace of a community or a country, then it should be banned to avoid unrest and violence. Freedom of speech should carry with it a responsibility and that there are consqeunces of what words you say. It may break a nation overnight.
@starr4all (2863)
22 Dec 06
It's fine to have an opinion but when you go against PROOF, then you are looked at as just crazy. Plus, it's a slap in the face to any living survivors. What you say is that what they went through never happened! Believe what you want too, but have proof to back it up.
@FraYFaN09 (1558)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I don't think that it should be illegal to disagree that there was a Holocaust... like u said it's someone's opinion and that should not be taken away from that person. However, in my opinion I think anyone who doesn't believe that was a Holocaust is just plain ignorant! The evidence is plain to see but if people chose to ignore it that's their decision and I think it's a sad one.
@shooie (4984)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I had the honor to travel to the Middle East in my younger years. I went to a places that have the history of the holoacaust. It was a very sad time for the Jewish people and those that were caught helping them. I saw the pictures and have read the stories I don't think it was exaggerated at all. There are still survivors alive that went throw it you can't deny that the stories that they tell are true. You can't deny the movie footage that was taken back in those days by the Germans of Jews being marched through the streest or the pictures of mass groups of Jews and the ones that helped being packed into box cars as cattle. It is your right not to believe. People have a right not to believe but for me I do.
@Gahagan (143)
• United States
23 Dec 06
Uh, I think you are misinformed. It is not, has never been, and will never be illegal to deny the existence or extent of the Nazi Holocaust. The wackos who believe it did not happen are very well within their rights.
@Sarah1977 (495)
• United States
22 Dec 06
First of all, I think that the most people who would even try to oppose the historical facts of the Holocaust are people of German heritage. They don't want to believe that their own race could be capable of doing such evil. I have no hatred toward Germans, or any other race for that matter, but I do have hatred toward ignorance. I don't think that it is necessarily an unlawful act to voice your opinion, but I do believe that it is morally and ethically wrong to try to downplay or diminish something that affected so many people in our world. It was a horrific time in our worlds history, and the innocent people that were victimized should be honored for what they went through. Please show some respect for these people.
• United States
22 Dec 06
I agree that everyone has the right to freedom of spech but I lived in Germany for 10 years and I am afraid the existance of the Holocaust is very real and not exaggerated. I visited Dachau and saw the ovens, the letters written in blood, the showers where gas came out of the nozzles instead of water, the mass graves, etc. It is now a hallowed site with a small chapel run by nuns.