One of the reasons I love that I'm in Germany rn. You don't get people casually joking about Nazis then laughing it off like it's nothing. It is literally against the law, and people treat that topic with actual respect.
Jesus fucking Christ. I'd say that's worse than Florida in some ways. There was an incident where 50 teenagers went looking for black people to kill!? That's straight up klan behavior! What the actual fuck!?
That's right, it depends on the place. Very much boils down to rural vs. urban (as in so many countries) but it's also a bit worse in Eastern Germany.
However the comment above is not wrong, in that there are definitive limits to free speech in German law so that you have more legal levers against nazis before they turn to violence.
It's more that the US is all about personal liberty and personal freedoms. Other places that you're referring to have a charter of rights, which still allow for personal freedoms but are also constructed to protect minorities or at risk groups, like Jewish people.
That said the Bill of Rights that the Americans produced was first of it's kind and amazing. Personally I just don't think they got it quite right and charter of rights take into account the personal liberties of all people and not just the dominant majority.
Freedom of speech. Everyone is able to be heard, even if their opinions are distasteful. It's what the US was built on and why people can fly swastikas and wear klan hoods without being arrested.
They can only be arrested if they commit a crime, not because their views are horrible. You can walk down the street yelling racial slurs at everyone and that's perfectly legal as long as you aren't being violent or inciting others to violence.
That doesn't mean society has to tolerate them - counter-protesting is alive and well, and Nazis have been fired from their jobs for their views. But the government can't arrest them simply for being Nazis.
I mean, we also have freedom of speech here in Germany. There are (harsh) limitations around hate speech and insults but besides that you can say what you want.
What’s also a definite no are nazi symbols. Swastikas, SS runes, nazi salutes, etc. are only ever allowed in the context of education and art (like period films and as of fairly recently, games).
We also still do have regular day to day nazis in Germany and sadly the far right party AfD has been growing in numbers over the last few years, taking a lot of inspiration from US republicans in their talking points and rhetoric. Since July they are in a county government for the first time, having only ever been an opposition party until then.
Germany wasn’t built on the principles of freedom (of speech) but that human dignity is inviolable. That’s Art. 1 of our constitution. Only Art. 2 then defines personal freedom.
Is "Jews get the rope" an incitement to violence? Because these recent rallies seem to be hitting very close to what are the commonly-accepted limits on free speech in America.
Unfortunately, it's limited to "direct, imminent threats of violence". What we'd consider stochastic terrorism currently skirts by under American law. I wish it were different, but it is not.