SGP condemns German government’s ban of linksunten.indymedia.org
By
the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei
31 August 2017
The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party–SGP) strongly condemns the banning by the German government of the left-wing website linksunten.indymedia.org and demands the immediate lifting of the ban. This brazen act of political censorship is a fundamental attack on freedom of speech and sets a precedent for the suppression of all social and political opposition.
In his justification of the ban, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere left no doubt about the fact that he is seeking to suppress criticism of government policy and the established parties. “For years, they have been using this platform to sow hatred against different opinions and the country’s representatives,” he said. There could be “no places of refuge for extremists from the left or right—neither on the internet nor beyond it.”
In referring to “hatred against the country’s representatives” de Maiziere means the mounting anger towards a political elite which has nothing to offer the vast majority of the population besides austerity, attacks on democratic rights, and militarism.
De Maizière justified the ban by asserting that linksunten.indymedia.org is “the most influential internet platform for left-wing extremists prepared to commit acts of violence in Germany.” But this is a brazen lie.
In fact, the ban is not directed against posts containing illegal content. The authorities could have taken action against any post violating existing laws without banning the website by calling on administrators to remove them. Instead, the Interior Minister, without a court ruling, banned an internet platform whose main focus was the struggle against…