Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!amdahl!gam
From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (G A Moffett)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Europe leaves net.politics in disgust.
Message-ID: <1425@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-85 00:31:24 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.1425
Posted: Sat Apr 20 00:31:24 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 22-Apr-85 02:21:47 EST
References: <265@turing.UUCP>
Organization: Blue Mouse Trailer Resort, Hellmouth, CA
Lines: 22

> The problem is however not only my disgust, but there is also a legal
> problem here.  The discussion started with the conviction of a man in
> Canada on the charge of inciting hatred to minority groups or something
> like that (I can not reread it as we removed the newsgroup here).
>                                         .... Now speech like that
> is not only not permitted in Canada, but also in many European
> countries.  But not only uttering is subject to punishment, but also
> publishing and distributing, where a plea of not-guilty on the ground that
> the contents of the stuff distributed was unknown might or might not be
> honoured by a judge.

So the problem is very clear.  "Europe" (whoever that is) doesn't
really have free speech as we know it in the US, so we should not
expect them to recieve just anything posted to the net.

While I don't blame "Europe" for cutting off the junk newsgroups
(we expire net.politics after 8 to 10 days here), I can't help but
think that the reasons given above indicate a problem with European
(and Canadian) law, rather than the particular contents of
net.politics cited.
-- 
Gordon A. Moffett		...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam