Show of Hands

You can absolutely oppose what they say, but it is wrong to put them in jail for saying something that someone deems "hate". That makes him a political prisoner despite Germany being a supposedly democratic state.

Apparently it does in Germany

And countries like China are criticized for it, yet Germany is given a pass because it's a Western nation.

If the people want another Hitler, that is their right. All they can do is use reason to convince people. The truth always prevails in a free and open society.

Freedom of speech is a universal, God-given right that is even ordained in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Wrong

The UN means nothing and is worthless.

Germany is a member of the UN whether you like it or not, and that means it needs to follow its rules. Moreover, as I stated above, freedom of speech is also a right intrinsic to all human beings, granted to us by God. No government has the right to obstruct it.

Bullshit.
The UN enforces nothing and has no authority over sovereign nations. It is a corrupt and worthless organization.
Does Germany have any provisions guaranteeing the right of freedom of speech?
Does any other country?

I agree that the UN doesn't enforce many of its provisions properly. However, this is a matter of principle. I also notice that you didn't respond to the other part of my comment.

Freedom of speech has nothing to do with god. It is a man made construct

Humanity does. See my response to abusara above.

Wrong

No. They do not. The only country with real free speech is the US and maybe Australia.

My point exactly.

Yep 😹

The Holocaust denying law known as "Auschwitz lie" shouldn't exist since it restricts free speech, the other issue is more problematic.

Horst Mahler rings a bell, the article refreshed my memory.
He was a radical and troublemaker first left extremist then right extremist.
Germany fears such elements. Such a sentence wouldn't be given to an unknown blogger.

What do you mean by "troublemaker"? Did he actively call for or act with violence? If not, I don't believe it is the government's place to decide why someone can or can't hate someone else.

See in thread below. Troublemaker is way understated. Terrorist and cofounder of the Baader-Meinhof group.

They seem to have a knack for authoritarianism.

Read about Mahler:
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/01/baader-meinhof-gang-founder-stasi

This man co-founded the infamous RAF terrorist group in 1970 and later worked for the Stasi.
He is an extreme radical and terrorist.
I can't blame Germany for not forgiving his deeds.
It's a bit like Al Capone getting nailed on tax evasion.
He's enemy of the state #1.

Oh, and bank robbery was also on his list of charges.
I'll defend free speech but this man is dangerous with more than words.

As far as I can tell, Mahler hasn't committed any terroristic acts ever since he left the far-left. The bank robberies were committed in 1970, so they were definitely not on his list of charges. If the government had a problem with his terroristic actions, they should have prosecuted him back then. It seems to me that he has since decided to work within the system and even acted as an attorney, yet the German government has repeatedly imprisoned him and restricted his freedom of movement.

It is clear that he has had no intention of acting violently ever since his conversion, yet he has repeatedly been charged with "incitement of the masses" (sounds like an indictment you would hear from court in China) for Holocaust denial, once for giving a Hitler salute (seriously), and once for being, and I quote the judge, "not able to be re-educated". If this isn't brainwashing, I don't know what is. It's clear that Mahler is being punished for crimes of thought rather than crimes of action.

He's definitely singled out for his past.
I still think this is not a good example to show how Germany handles freedom of speech in general.
The Holocaust denial law is a quirk but normally, freedom of speech is valued as much as in the US.

Volksverhetzung, meaning "incitement of the masses" (which he was also convicted of) can be used for a wide range of speech unrelated to the Holocaust.