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CENSORED: How European "Hate Speech" Laws are Threatening Free Speech

Paul Coleman, ADF International Executive Director

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The Origins of Europe's Hate Speech Laws

Censored addresses the rise of so-called ‘hate speech’ laws throughout Europe and their devastating effect on freedom of speech. In Germany, for example, committing an ‘insult’ is a criminal offence and in Poland offending ‘religious feelings’ carries a two year prison sentence. 

In Cyprus, anyone who promotes ‘feelings of ill will’ may be committing a crime, while in Sweden anyone who expresses ‘contempt’ towards a group of people may be imprisoned. Across Europe, such laws are readily being used. Ministers of religion are arrested for preaching sermons from the Bible, journalists are routinely fined, and even private conversations between citizens can result in criminal investigations.

In fact, Censored documents more than fifty different ‘hate speech’ cases throughout Europe, most of which have occurred in the last decade. A fully up-to-date compendium containing hundreds of European ‘hate speech’ laws is included. 

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How European “Hate Speech” Laws are Threatening Free Speech

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CENSORED: How European “Hate Speech” Laws are Threatening Free Speech
Paul Coleman, ADF International Executive Director

Censored by Paul Coleman
Publisher: Kairos Publications; 2nd edition (2016) Languages available: English / German
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'Coleman makes a compelling case against the use of hate speech laws'
PROF. JÁN MAZÁKFormer Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union
'This brilliant book is essential reading for anyone who cares about freedom of conscience and freedom of speech, and who is concerned about the strangling of these key liberties by politicians passing "hate speech" laws.'
BRENDAN O’NEILLEditor of spiked online and a columnist for the Big Issue, a blogger for the Telegraph, and a writer for the Spectator
'Unless a proper respect for freedom of speech is adopted and promoted, we may very well usher in a new era of state-enforced censorship. This book, I hope, will serve as one of the tools in fighting against such a future.'
BENJAMIN W BULLAllied Lawyer
'Paul Coleman has produced a comprehensively researched and well-reasoned analysis of the dangers to liberal society of undue extensions of criminal restrictions on freedom of speech.'
PROF. WILLIAM BINCHYBarrister at Law, Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College Dublin

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Statement of Faith

Based on our adherence to the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God in Scripture, we profess with the Christian Church throughout time and around the world the faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Päivi Räsänen

Päivi Räsänen, a member of parliament and devoted grandmother from Finland, charged with 'hate speech' for voicing her deeply held beliefs on the Christian view of marriage and sexuality.

Stand with Päivi

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce from the UK, a pro-life leader in the United Kingdom, arrested for praying in silence on the public street nearby an abortion facility.

Stand with Isabel

Rodrigo Iván Cortés

Rodrigo Iván Cortés, a former Mexican congressman, punished under the law after speaking out in defence of biological reality — the fact that we are male and female.

Stand with Rodrigo now

Nada and Hamouda

Nada and Hamouda from Sudan, who had their marriage struck down by a Sharia court and faced punishment of 100 lashes and threats to their lives, simply because they converted to Christianity.

Stand with Nada and Hamouda

Shagufta and Shafqat

Shagufta and Shafqat from Pakistan, a Christian couple who languished on death row for seven years, convicted for allegedly sending a blasphemous text message, even though they can neither read nor write.

Stand with Shagufta and Shafqat

Päivi Räsänen

Eine Abgeordnete des finnischen Parlaments, die wegen ‘Hassrede’ angeklagt wurde, nachdem sie öffentlich ihre christlichen Überzeugungen zu Ehe und Sexualität geäußert hatte.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce

Die engagierte Lebensschützerin aus Großbritannien, die festgenommen wurde, als sie still in der Nähe einer Abtreibungsklinik auf einer öffentlichen Straße betete.

Rodrigo Iván Cortés

Ein ehemaliger Kongressabgeordnete aus Mexiko, der bestraft wurde, nachdem er die biologische Wahrheit der zwei Geschlechter verteidigt hatte.

Nada und Hamouda

Aus dem Sudan, deren Ehe von einem Scharia-Gericht aufgelöst wurde und die mit 100 Peitschenhieben und Lebensgefahr bedroht wurden, nur weil sie zum Christentum konvertierten.

Shagufta und Shafqat

Ein christliches Paar aus Pakistan, das 7 Jahre lang in der Todeszelle saß, weil sie angeblich eine blasphemische Textnachricht versendet hatten - obwohl beide weder lesen noch schreiben können.