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Boston Approves Permit for White Supremacist Rally on Saturday

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Nipo

Member
Terrorist groups shouldn't be allowed to hold rallies.

Well step one would be overturning Brandenburg v. Ohio. Boston didn't have much choice in this instance the SCOTUS has ruled numerous times that hate groups and even cross burnings are protected speech.
 

dohdough

Member
One of the primary organizers of this event goes to my school and is in my class, actually. I won't post his name but he claims on his Facebook page to not be a Nazi and is regularly a piece of shit on YouTube and online. The school itself released a blanket statement about the event in question and didn't address the student directly at all. The dude is acting like we have no reason to want him out of our school, and his smug face pisses me off.

Dude is on the front page of boston.com. I don't think there's any need to hide his identity or the type of shitlord he is. The article goes deep enough into his antics and why the permit was allowed...not that I agree with it.

If any of the previous anti-Trump rallies were any indication, there'll be at least 10000 counter protesters.
 

Steejee

Member
The 'free speech' groups would probably have preferred to have the permit denied over having it approved with restrictions. If it got straight up denied they could stay at home and play martyr. Now they'll either have to show up, without any weapons to try to act intimidating in front of the counter protesters that will outnumber them 50:1 easily, or stay at home and just look like cowards.

Out of town whole weekend, or I'd go to the counter protests. Only weekend I'm traveling for like a 3 months stretch, go figure.
 

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
FWIW (and I am not defending these scumbags at all), this group is apparently "different" than the Charlottesville people:

The alt lite, sometimes referred to as the New Right, is a loosely-connected movement whose adherents generally shun white supremacist thinking, but who are in step with the alt right in their hatred of feminists and immigrants, among others. Many within the alt lite sphere are virulently anti-Muslim; the group abhors everyone on ”the left" and traffics in conspiracy theories.
So, still shitheads, but not quite nazis? Whatever.

well, there it is.

Boston as fuck.
I'm impressed that we made it this far!
 
Got an email from the chief of police (addressed to all students in Boston) about this and about staying safe

I probably am not going to go to it though
 

RPGCrazied

Member
Hate speech isn't free speech. Its like they want another horror show that we had last weekend and more death. The blood is on them for giving these people permits.
 
I'm no fan of Nazis or White supreamicists, I'm mexican, so obviously their not a fan of me either.

This is gonna be a fucking nightmare, and when Charolettesville had their deal, I don't understand why people entertain these fucks. They want you to go out there and make an ass of the situation, they want the Media to show up and plaster their faces on the news.

Just like everytime a shooter blows up a mall or school and they plaster the killers face all over the place, they get what they wanted in the end.

If they ignored these fucks, and let them dance around with tiki torches in the middle of the night, no attention, no media. It would have been fine. If the chance of people dying or getting hurt is less important then letting them know how much you hate them then I dunno.

I have no doubts something bad will happen. Makes me sick, but people will head out there anyway, and it will get out of hand. All the GAFers from Boston stay staf.
 

Narroo

Member
You'd think Nazis be considered a public safety hazard though.

In principle, a lot of speech could be. Just look at how China rationalizes it's oppression of free speech.

So long at the Boston PD has everything covered, I think it's better for them to show up and get counter-protested into oblivion. These protests are all about shows of support and number, and it's better to show our support for equality democracy. There's nothing more potent that a small group of dingbats being surrounded by a sea of sane people saying they're wrong. You don't get to see that on the internet. Sadly, in the meantime, it sucks that this has to happen at all.
 
Innocent until guilty. If they were terrorists they would have been arrested and thoughts aren't grounds for arrest, you need to show intent.

So it's OK for ISIS to march in America and the cops wouldn't shut that shit down with the quickness? Calling bullshit on that. This is White Privilege on Parade.
 
Hate speech isn't free speech. Its like they want another horror show that we had last weekend and more death. The blood is on them for giving these people permits.

Hate speech is protected under the 1sr amendment unless there is an immediate threat of violence

So I suppose the question is when you believe it becomes violent
 
Is America the only"first world" nation without hate speech laws?

At any rate, I don't think Americans (white Americans especially) will ever give up absolute free speech without intelligent application as a principle. America is built on hate
 

riotous

Banned
Then change it. Speech that incites violence shouldn't be anywhere near the 1st amendment.

Then loads of NeoGAFers should get charged with crimes then? We have entire threads full of people urging violence, some even being fairly specific about who. But since it's still, in the end, rather vague thoughts being expressed, it's largely protected speach.

Cities have to allow people to assemble within reason, protected under the same constitution that allows NeoGAF to vent about punching nazis.

I'm not sure where I stand myself; ethically I'm fine with hate speach being illegal. But IMO, in this country, with the right wing largely in control... it COULD backfire, and I HATE slippery slope arguments. Make hate speach illegal, what do you think the alt-right goons running this country will use that power for?
 
Then loads of NeoGAFers should get charged with crimes then? We have entire threads full of people urging violence, some even being fairly specific about who. But since it's still, in the end, rather vague thoughts being expressed, it's largely protected speach.

Cities have to allow people to assemble within reason, protected under the same constitution that allows NeoGAF to vent about punching nazis.

Free speech rights don't apply to private web sites. How you lecturing on the constitution and you don't even know how the shit works fam???
 
Living a bit south of Boston if I didn't have social anxiety, absolute fear of confrontation (especially being a woman with how these subhumans tend to view us) and drove I'd probably travel to take part in the counter protest but I'll just send my wishes hoping these disgusting people are made fools of themselves and no one is hurt.
 
good_luck_morgan_freeman.gif
 

jph139

Member
Absolutely playing with fire. I think denying the permit would have been a smart move - they don't really deserve benefit of the doubt here.

Will be nice to see the counter-protesters turn out in force, though. After this week they damn well better.
 

riotous

Banned
Free speech rights don't apply to private web sites. How you lecturing on the constitution and you don't even know how the shit works fam???

What? I didn't say anything about what NeoGAF would legally be required to do. It's only a private website in that they control their own moderation rules.

If someone were to issue a direct threat against someone here, they could be charged with a crime... because that speech isn't protected.

How are you going to flip out on me when you don't know how this shit works?
 

Sanjuro

Member
Absolutely playing with fire. I think denying the permit would have been a smart move - they don't really deserve benefit of the doubt here.

Will be nice to see the counter-protesters turn out in force, though. After this week they damn well better.

I think all it does is draw more attention to them. I could be wrong, but the last time they were out here it was only a fraction of people.

Photos speak louder when you have a Virgil signing.
 

Somnid

Member
So it's OK for ISIS to march in America and the cops wouldn't shut that shit down with the quickness? Calling bullshit on that.

If you're arguing that White Nationalists don't actually care about principals to suit their agenda, you'd be right. But Isis sympathizers should get to march too. In terms of actual application, BLM gets a lot of push back, probably more than these White Nationalists. But that is mistake of justice and application of the law, not a mistake in the law's intent.
 
Freedom of speech is literally the first right protected in our Constitution. I think these people are vile, but they have the right to peacefully protest. And yes, many of those hope to incite violence, but that isn't a legal reason to take away somebody's constitutional right.

I do hope their hateful protest is dwarfed by 4-5 times as many counter protestors.
 

Nipo

Member
Nazi language inherently incites violence.

Scotus ruled that inherent violence is still protecting. it needs to call for immediate violence. There is a three prong test but the name of it slips my mind. I'm sure it is on Wikipedia.
 
Waving Nazi flags and chanting "blood & soil" isn't reason.

This is what I'm saying.

These people aren't marching for taxes.

Or housing.

Or wages.

Or jobs.

Or social issues.

They're marching because they want to exterminate Black people, Jewish people, Gay people, Arab people, Indian People, Asian people, Muslim people, and I could keep going.

That's their endgame. A white ethno-state. Period. We need to acknowledge that if we're going to discuss them.

Now combine that with the history of the KKK and Nazis. The ONLY reason they aren't labeled as a terrorist organization is because: they. are. White people. No other group would be tolerated doing this shit as long as they've been tolerating this.

If you're arguing that White Nationalists don't actually care about principals to suit their agenda, you'd be right. But Isis sympathizers should get to march too. In terms of actual application, BLM gets a lot of push back, probably more than these White Nationalists. But that is mistake of justice and application of the law, not a mistake in the law's intent.

I don't care what "should" happen in your thought experiment. I'm saying it flat out would NOT be tolerated for a second by America and you know it.
 
Free speech rights shouldn't even be the relevant point here. A member of one of these groups killed and injured innocent people in an intentional attack at their last rally. How is that not enough for the city to be allowed to reject the request on public safety grounds?
 

riotous

Banned
Waving Nazi flags and chanting "blood & soil" isn't reason.

A nazi flag is protected expression. So is shouting nonsense like blood and soil.

Now could the city have denied this permit based on the idea that it is protecting the public? Sure; but the group could sue.. and they might actually win.
 

Nepenthe

Member
So under the same grounds people are using to defend the existence of these Nazi rallies, someone could just start up an ISIS rally? I wanna see how comfortable conservatives are with free speech.
 

riotous

Banned
B-but guys, the slippery slope!

So make hate speach illegal; while Trump is in control of the Justice Department.

Anyone can be snarky, but how does that idea make you feel? You going to tell me this is a bad slippery slope argumennt? They oftne are terrible and intellectually dishonest, make no sense, etc... but you going to tell me you think it's a good idea to give the current people in control of this countries laws, the ability to deem people's speach as "hate speach" and make it illegal?
 
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