Flick 🇬🇧 on Nostr: https://freespeechunion.org/quran-burner-charged-with-hate-crime-in-swedish-court/ ...
https://freespeechunion.org/quran-burner-charged-with-hate-crime-in-swedish-court/
Two statements which Paludan made, specifically in the context of burning the Qur’an, were interpreted by the prosecutor as a violation of Swedish law. The first was: “Freedom of speech means that you are allowed to say things that others in the country do not like to hear. And you can say it without others assaulting or trying to kill you.”
The prosecutor’s interpretation of this was that: “Muslims don’t like Western democracy and freedom of speech”—which is then in turn deemed to be offensive to the group (that is not explicitly mentioned by Paludan).
A second statement considered in violation of the law is that there could “be a problem” if someone “likes, for example, to use violence as a means of communication”, because “it is only God’s word that counts”. This statement, too, was interpreted as denigrating to Muslims.
Two statements which Paludan made, specifically in the context of burning the Qur’an, were interpreted by the prosecutor as a violation of Swedish law. The first was: “Freedom of speech means that you are allowed to say things that others in the country do not like to hear. And you can say it without others assaulting or trying to kill you.”
The prosecutor’s interpretation of this was that: “Muslims don’t like Western democracy and freedom of speech”—which is then in turn deemed to be offensive to the group (that is not explicitly mentioned by Paludan).
A second statement considered in violation of the law is that there could “be a problem” if someone “likes, for example, to use violence as a means of communication”, because “it is only God’s word that counts”. This statement, too, was interpreted as denigrating to Muslims.