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elgato
Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 16923
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:12 pm Post subject: Amazon Sued Over Holocaust Denial Books |
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The American Jewish Committee filed a lawsuit Friday against Amazon-Germany for selling books it says question the Holocaust and "trivialize" the Nazis.
The AJC says there are about 50 titles available on Amazon.de that question the Holocaust and promote Nazis.
Deidre BergerSome of the books, the AJC says, are labeled by German authorities as being inappropriate for those under 18.
"It is unacceptable that books are for sale on Amazon.de that normally are only available under the counter in far-right extremist shops," said AJC-Berlin director Deidre Berger.
"We cannot let the spread of Internet sales erode laws that ban Holocaust denial and incitement to hatred of minorities in Germany."
A spokeswoman for Amazon Germany denied it sold any books that were banned or not suitable for those under 18.
"We think that the best response to questionable literature is not removing them but more discussion," a spokeswoman told AFP.
The AJC says the goal of the suit is to get Amazon-Germany to reexamine the books it sells and to remove the books that promote holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.
Denial of the Holocaust is a crime in Germany, punishable by up to five years in prison.
more.. link to news article |
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DaLizardsLair
Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 4782
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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See?
Censorship and bookburning is alive and well. |
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cohibastore.com
Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 4764
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| Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:46 pm Post subject: Re: Amazon Sued Over Holocaust Denial Books |
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| i am OK with this. this is in germany and any business who does business there must do as their laws dictate. |
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wphamilton
Joined: 01 May 2005
Posts: 1940
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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I tend to agree in practice, even though I am fundamentally opposed to laws that restrict freedom of choice.
"We cannot let the spread of Internet sales erode laws" - that seems to be a developing pattern in the evolution of Internet commerce. We also see it in sales tax, and in stricter European laws over trademark control. Knife sales in the UK, certain animal products running afoul of local restrictions. Which way will it go? Can they really stop the Internet sales from eroding their restrictive laws, short of stopping Internet sales altogether? Or will Internet sales eventually swamp these restrictions and put all the onus on local law enforcement after the fact, focusing on the purchasers of banned products rather than the merchant?
For my part, I think the AJC spokesman is misguided in that general statement. I think they won't have any choice in allowing the Internet to erode local restrictions, and I tend to disagree that it's even a desirable goal. |
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