Should calling someone 'Nazi' be made illegal?

LoveUniHateExams

A rabble-rouser called James Goddard and a crowd of pro-Brexit people called Anna Soubry 'Nazi' recently.

The same crowd also called Owen Jones a few names.

I don't know these people but they seem to be unsavory people - they were certainly not behaving themselves.

The Met police are looking into the matter, to see if the crowd did anything illegal. A journalist asked the police officer if calling someone 'Nazi' is illegal. The officer said 'that's what we're looking into'.

First, this crowd behaved badly, no question.

What I find fascinating, though, is the speed of response from authorities.

Calling people fascist or nazi has been going on for decades. Owen Jones and his comrades are guilty of it, certainly, with some practically making a career out of it.

And now it's being done to them it's the worst thing in the world.

There's appalling double standards on display here: when the far Left, such as Momentum or Antifa, call people nazi, that's just 'activism'; when a bunch of pro-Brexit people do the same, they're 'thugs' ...

LoveUniHateExams

Since 'nazi' could be the second n-word that people mustn't say, I propose a new word that we can all say ... nizzer.

It's a combination of the two n-words.

Like it?

Simon

It is overused, but it's helpful as a clear indicator of people who should really be ignored in any discourse - the people shouting it.

WillYouDFme

It should only be illegal if we lived in a dictatorship.

There is a big difference in things being not nice to say, or offensive, and a criminal offence.

LoveUniHateExams

@Simon - you're quite right, when people start flinging 'Nazi' around they usually have nothing of value to listen to. And this applies to the rabble who shouted stuff at Anna Soubry and Owen Jones.

Jones even went on to This Week to talk about it ... and called the protesters 'fascists'. XD

Owen Jones and his mates have zero self awareness and will never learn.

Jones is on from 7 mins 30 secs to 23 mins 40 secs ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa7ZefRxLzM

Vidiot

"Nazi" is just a tad too loaded, IMO.

I prefer "fascist", but even then, I try to be selective in how I use it.

Incognigo Montoya

Not sure what the laws are in Britain, but here in the U.S. freedom of speech says you can say whatever you like, without fear of reprisal from the government, as any free society should be.(within reason..you cant falsly yell "fire!" In a crowded room, for example) So a person should be able to say whatever they wish. Now that doesn't mean they are free from all reprisal, such as a lawsuit for slander, or a swift punch to the nose.

Name calling is the hallmark of someone who's argument has lost all reason. Basically, if you resort to name calling, you're a punk ass bitch 😉. That said, people need to grow a thicker skin. Sticks and stones...

Incognigo Montoya

So true, Vidiot. When words are cheaply thrown around, they lose their value. Used to be, when someone was called a Nazi, there was proof and they were ostracized, and rightly so. Now the term is thrown about anytime someone viciously disagrees with anothers ideals. It doesn't mean much. Which is sad, because a whole generation of people will grow up being innocuous to that word. If the movement were to ever gain steam again, they might go on ignored until it was too late. And history repeats itself.

waton

When calling a person anything, you are avoiding the issue. You are attacking the person, when the important thing is to attack ideas, actions, Those have to be identified, defined and defended against. Even a person marching under a certain flag, might do so because she is standing up for ideals not always all covered by that symbol.

breakfast of champions

I knew that mindlessly invoking "Hitler" or "nazis" in an argument was some sort of fallacy, but I didn't know it had a name!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_Hitlerum

Should calling someone 'Nazi' be made illegal?

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