Cablegate: Czechs Highlight Concerns About Neo-Nazi Hate

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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPG #0528 2201521
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071521Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0597
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000528

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM EZ EUN
SUBJECT: CZECHS HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS ABOUT NEO-NAZI HATE
SPEECH IN US

REF: A. PRAGUE 00488
B. ASWAD-CARNIE E-MAIL DATED 7.24.2008
C. STATE 76294

1. (SBU) Summary: On July 25, Emboffs delivered Ref. C
demarche to Czech Director of Human Rights and Transition
Policy, Gabriela Dlouha. Dlouha noted concerns raised by
several domestic and international NGOs with the Czech MFA
about neo-Nazi content, which is allowed on U.S.-hosted
websites and Internet domains. The main NGO to raise this
concern was the Czech Helsinki Committee, which is concerned
that European neo-Nazi groups will use U.S. websites to
spread their violent message.

2. (SBU) According to Dlouha, several European governments,
including GoCR, have removed neo-Nazi content from their
Internet domains. However, due to the worldwide availability
of the Internet, neo-Nazi groups in Europe are able to
exploit U.S. web domains to bypass these restrictions by
European governments. Dlouha noted neo-Nazi content could be
viewed as an appeal to violence and represents a threat to
peace and security. She also pointed to USG actions to block
terrorism and child pornography content on U.S. domains as
examples of what could be done.

3. (SBU) In response, Emboffs explained the USG position
(Ref. B) that while we abhor the ideologies of hatred and
condemn intolerant speech, our position is that such speech
needs to be confronted and denounced but not limited or
outlawed - with the exception that we do not allow for the
incitement of violence. Per Ref. B, Emboffs also extended an
offer for Czech experts to discuss these issues in more
detail with free speech experts from the State Department's
Office of the Legal Advisor. Dlouha expressed general
interest in the offer, but made no firm commitments.
According to Dlouha, the Czech delegation to the OSCE's Human
Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw does not intend to
raise the issue of neo-Nazi content on U.S.-hosted Internet
domains "at this time."
Thompson-Jones

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