Google has already rejected a request from the White House to remove the film, but has blocked access to it in Libya, Egypt, Indonesia and India.
The firm says it is acting in countries where the material is illegal.
So Google will only block the video where free speech about religion does not exist!
I can't get my head around this, Google will continue to inflame the situation in the west as long as the film is available. People are dying out there! Just remove it, and now!
Or, how about the muslims get over it and respect that everyone has opinions, even extremists within their own faith, in fact, arguably they have the most, so move on.
Most of them do. Even if one could maybe deplore that someone got out of his mind like that silly odd guy in Californa, it's a real tiny minority to become physically aggressive (and/or murderous).
I totally agree. I understand that free speech is important to most people, including myself, but when it disturbs and offends a whole society (in this case muslims), then I see no point of not eliminating or blocking this video for good. It's just a matter of respecting other religions and cultures... especially if the consequences of keeping it have such a high price and if it's taking the life of innocent people.
Freedom of speech is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas via speech . The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, as with libel , slander , obscenity , [citation needed ] copyright violation and incitement to commit a crime.
In my opinion this part of an awful insulting film has upset the Muslims and has incited them to commit crimes. Hence it should be removed.
I can't believe that people actually think that Google should remove this. Freedom of expression is being able to express opinions regardless of how others might feel. Just because it offends a religion means it should be banned? Does that mean that movies that make fun of Catholics or Mormons should be banned? You don't see Mormons trying to ban "Book of Mormon" broadway show. You want to know what this would do if Google gave in and banned it? It would tell any group that if you disagree or don't like another person's ideas or expressions that you can kill and act violant and someone will cave in. It would be like a teacher letting a kid do what they want because that student threatened them. Once one kid saw that it worked, the other kids would line up to do the same. Good for Google to let someones expression remain visible to those who would want to view it. If someone is really that offended, then DON'T WATCH IT!!!!
Hundreds? Because of the protests? Where’s that? The BBC mention only a dozen with no religious affliation mentioned.
And isn’t this all very convenient to get Syria off the news channels while they continue to slaughter innocent citizens.
The whole situation is, as usual I’m afraid, way over reacting to something that wouldn’t have even been noticed if they hadn’t kicked up such a fuss. It’s time Islamic leaders learned to make their protests in a civilized, modern way with words, and not war. I point out the leaders because, although this started at ground level at it were, I haven’t yet heard of one Islamic leader making much of a protest about the protesters. It’s time the Ayatollahs stood up and said “Protest, but peacefully and do not destroy other peoples’ property, homes and livelihoods.”
In other words, don’t throw a tantrum just because someone did something you didn’t like. There are other ways of getting your point across.
the above might be good for a general definition, but under US law the above is not accurate. more importantly, freedom of speech in the US is not a "political right", but rather is a "fundamental and inalienable right", meaning that it can only be infringed or impaired in the most extreme of circumstances. to say that the video in question has "incited crime" is absolutely inane, and a total indictment of the criminal rather than the film.
I am sorry, but my personal view is that freedom of speech is sacrosanct and an absolute pillar of any democratic civilization. and there is no question whatsoever that the film in question is protected speech under US law, it is a slam dunk case.
Personally I find it upsetting, that in Western countries Muslims are allowed to protest with signs stating that "All those who insult the prophet should be be-headed"
That is free speech, but it is also inciting violence.
They committed the crimes in the protests, they are responsible, not some stupid third rate film. It also coincided with the anniversary of 9/11.
Your message is inciting me to commit heinous crimes on Aargau rice car drivers. Hence it should be removed.
I know the above analogue is contrived, but I hope the point is obvious. Free speech is a fundamental building block of the western civilization, and one that we should guard particularly vigilantly (I would even say viciously). All the more because the people who are being violent in response to this video are doing so because they have only ever experienced the lack of free speech - oppression. They have never known any other way, therefore it is unthinkable for them that one would not get severely punished by the government for offending a religous authority.
Moreover, the leaders and society of these people want them to feel this way, because if they accept that how they live is normal, said leaders can maintain their position and structure of society.
If youtube removed that video, they would legitimize the regimes, culture and society that are diametrically opposed to free speech.
I'm a strong believer in the words of a wise man: "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Did we see the same furore when Life of Brian was released? Were there protests to do some really bad things to the cast of Monty Python? Why not? Perhaps something like the Spanish inquisition might be apt?
I'm reading a lot of high brow rhetoric on free speech but we actually live in a country where denial of the holocaust is a crime. Switzerland together with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Romania have laws that outlaw all forms of holocaust denial. That means that writing an article or producing a film that questions the holocaust could land you in jail e.g. the British Historian David Irving .
Now I'm probably in the majority of people who think that this limitation on 'Free Speech' is fair enough, since those that challenge such an immutable fact are either mad or bad, and both deserve to be censored. Maybe I just believe that my right to free speech should come with certain responsibilities.