[WikiEN-l] Nazi userboxes

Thu Nov 30 21:47:16 UTC 2006

On 11/30/06, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com> wrote:

> Is everyone displaying any of the userboxes on these pages
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:GRBerry/German_userbox_solution#Political_parties
> going to banned?
>
> The only reason I can see for treating Nazis differently from anyone
> else is because people don't like Nazis. It boils down to banning
> someone for being unpopular.
>
> If Wikipedia were based in Germany, it would be an obvious ban for
> breaking the law, but Wikipedia is under US jurisdiction, and the US
> doesn't have any such law.

Do you believe that the Nazi party is no different from any of those
other parties, or is this just a cheap rhetorical device?  Be honest.

Do you also not see the difference between free speech in the public
sphere and in the private sphere?  While the principles of and laws
regarding free speech should of course apply to Nazis like they do to
everyone else, Wikipedia is not obligated by those principles and laws
to provide a soapbox for Nazis.