A lesson in freedom of speech that all Europeans and Canadians need to see
 

I don't believe America is the best country to live in or at least I think such labels are silly. Some things we do better than other countries and some we don't. One thing I believe we do better than just about any other country is we have a culture that genuinely believes in freedom of speech, even if they find that speech distasteful. When I look across to Europe and I see 80 year old women being jailed for years for daring to question the official version of the Holocaust, I love that we have a written constitution that is almost impossible to change with the first amendment. So I found this video and I think the message is profound. A man uses his freedom of speech to put a Nazi flag up on his property. All the neighbors found it distasteful but not one dared question his right to do that. Instead, one of them used his freedom of speech to bring attention to this. Although I would not fly a Nazi flag in my backyard, this video is one of the rare times these days when I am proud of my country.

Personally I don't see much difference between a nazi flag and a Burkha, both are shoving discrimination down our throats. I suppose the difference for me would be that the flag is on private property whereas the wearing of a burkha is allowed on public streets and in public places.

So flying an ISIS flag would equally be ok, do you think?

If they are a legal citizen of the United States then they should be allowed to fly it on their own property. If they start talking and indoctrinating people about how non-Muslims need to be killed, then that's a grey area. If they are a "refugee" not a citizen and they are proudly waving the Isis flag I think it is in our country's interest and our legal right to deport them on the spot back to wherever they came from.

So we have a nazi sympathiser and, by the sounds of it, a holocaust-denier sympathiser on the forum. Wtaf

Freedom of speech can go too far. Having a nazi (or ISIS) flag flying should always be illegal

We also seem to have a dictator.

Shame you Americans dont feel Blacks are part of your culture

Yes that Josy is a right COW!!

(I'm joking Josy xxx)

mmhmm I don't believe you with all your if's and but's

I have seen an ISIS flag on a house in Britain. It seemed to be allowed. At least I guess they are indentifying themselves - not so much of the hidden enemy within.

There were also such flags being waved at a recent Hezbolah demostration in London, which was supposedly illegal, but nothing was done about it.

I would think that this perhaps has a tiny wee bit to do with a neighbour dispute?

:think:

It is NOT allowed and you should have reported it as soon as you saw it.

Surely flying the flag of the enemy would be a crime against the country?Be it the Nazis or ISIS or whoever.

An actual ISIS flag? They should be made take it down and they should be arresting them imo

You would think so

I don't think your get-out-clause freedom of speech loophole makes America great at all lol. At some point, logic and common sense trumps (for lack of a better word) that.

It definitely is an insult but I wouldn't call it a crime. Burning the American flag isn't a crime so flying another an enemy's flag shouldn't be a crime, I think.

I'd bet good money that what Brillo saw was simply the national flag with arabic of a middle-eastern country (Iraq, Saudi, Yemen etc. have writing on their flags), and not an actual Jihadist black flag.

Not least because an actual ISIS member flying an ISIS flag on their house would be REALLY stupid :think:.

Yeah :laugh:

It wasn't. It was an all black flag and had metal grates over the windows and doors. It looked really sinister.

Labels are silly. Let's just say I no longer buy into the belief that the Allies in WW2 were all that better than the Nazis. The world ain't black and white. Never was.

The allies didn't try and delete an entire race from the world.I'd say we were on the right side of morality in that one

On the thread topic, though, everyone has rights but there has to be a line and it has to be a sensible line. Do you think a non-white person living a few doors down from someone flying this flag feels safe?

People do have the right to express themselves and their beliefs but people also have the right to feel safe on their own street and in their own home. In cases like this, surely the latter trumps the former? Even if you believe that white supremacists "have the right to express themselves", attending rallies and soap-boxing and whatever - surely this shouldn't extend to intimidating people on suburban streets when they are just trying to get on with their day-to-day life?


I'll go back to my neighbours as an example, who like to throw parties every weekend and blast music until 4am. Do these scumbags have the right to party in their own home? To play the music they want to, when they want to, on their own property? Arguably, sure they do, I get that it's how they de-stress and have fun, and everyone is entitled to have fun and remove stress. HOWEVER - my autistic 5 year old daughter also has the right to be able to sleep peacefully in her own bed, so that she doesn't become exhausted and distressed. Me and the rest of my family have the right to get a good night's sleep before getting up for work at 7am on a Sunday morning.

And this is where there has to be a line; where something being legal doesn't mean it is acceptable or that it should be tolerated.

Ummm