Swastika in the Polish Parliament
In a recent incident in the Polish Parliament, an extreme right-wing MP, Konrad Berkowicz, displayed a modified Israeli flag bearing a swastika in place of the Star of David while accusing Israel of committing genocide. The ECHR protects severe criticism of governments, allegations of international crimes, and speech that “shocks, offends or disturbs”. Yet the question is whether the use of a Nazi symbol remains protected political expression in a constitutional order shaped by the legacy of Nazism and the Holocaust. In our view, it does not.
Continue reading >>
Data Retention Laws and La Quadrature du Net II
La Quadrature du Net II has been criticized for allowing generalized metadata retention measures. However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the law must not become a mechanism for protecting criminals. The scale of online rights violations are a real problem. P2P networks are not only a threat to copyright protection, but also an environment for the distribution of content related to serious crime. It is therefore necessary to strike a balance between these two concerns and to propose solutions that adequately protect users without guaranteeing impunity for criminals.
Continue reading >>