A despicable assault on free speech in Germany; a fair example of how creeps — just the right word on this story — initiate a program of social intimidation.
If this happened in the U.S., in addition to challenging First Amendment prerogatives, it would have the effect also of transforming floor or line-level workers into voiceless slaves, and it would then chill labor and management all the way up the ladder.
For international readers, the American social process may be summed as “be free to speak, but don’t expect to be loved for everything you have to say.”
Small KKK group holds rally at Civil War battlefield – Baltimore Sun
Reader Comment: “What if the comments had been anti-Semitic?”
In Germany, not good, but is there a Jewish organization in Germany combing Facebook, as part of its operations, to locate anti-Semites and tell their employers that so-and-so has been a bad boy or girl?
In the U.S., Americans live with a host of bigots, tolerate their rants, and casually, as opposed to by law, marginalize them or argue with them or stay away from them, but we generally don’t seek to have the same fired from their jobs.
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For readers elsewhere and wrestling with America’s free speech concept and the character of the First Amendment: the purpose was not to protect pleasant or popular expression but opposite: to defend unpleasant and unpopular expression on the basis that what was said might be true and in need of hearing.
On the other hand, free speech does not protect libel and slander, incitement, criminal conspiracy, and sedition, although the latter has been so toothless as to allow the broadest sweeps of anti-American claims and rants in the open press.
From the originating report published in The Buffalo News, September 4, 2013:
A Facebook rant about Muslims by an employee of a Walmart store in Hamburg has prompted the retail giant to fire the man.
The derogatory posting on Friday morning was brought to the attention of Wal-Mart Stores executives by a member of the local Muslim community and by a national Muslim advocacy organization.
Hamburg Walmart manager fired over anti-Muslim posting – City & Region – The Buffalo News
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