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[Neonivek]

"Okay guys we're banning your pride parade because we can't guarantee your safety from radicals. And if you hold one anyway, we're going to hurt you."

Is "protection from radicals" really their excuse for banning the pride parade?

Goodness... What would LBGTQ people know about standing up to discrimination and people who would do them harm?

[martinuzz]

Yes, that really is the argument that was used 3 years ago to ban the Gay Pride. The government 'could not guarantee their safety from extreme nationalist groups'.

[Neonivek]

While that is extremely dubious and smells of Russia's "Propaganda think of the children" law...

How legitimate are they being?

My initial thoughts are... not legitimate at all.

[Pwnzerfaust]

UNHCR data about the """"""refugees"""""" coming across the Med to Italy during 2017. Interesting highlights:

• 75.3% are adult males
• Only 1.4% are Syrian
• A further 1.2% are Iraqi, and 2.8% are Eritrean
• Guinea is the most common point of origin
• Bangladesh is the third most common point of origin, some 7000 km from Italy

[smjjames]

I'm just gonna quote the article summary here for the link: French President Emmanuel Macron will break with tradition and not give a news conference on Bastille Day because his "complex thoughts" may prove too much for journalists, reports say.

Is that like, an euphenism for 'rambles off a lot'? lol

[hector13]

Silly man.

I mean he's identified he has an issue with brevity, but he's el presidente so there must be some PR people he can talk to about improving on that.

[smjjames]

Or even speech coaches or other people who can help him work on summarizing his answers. Theres no lack of people who would be able to help him refine that.

Though I dare him to get more wordy than Obama the orator, lol.

[Baffler]

It sounds like he's trying to say that he's too smart for the average Frenchman to comprehend his thoughts on the subject.

[martinuzz]

The leader of the free West, Angela Merkel, voted against gay marriage. Not that it mattered. Legalization of gay marriage in Germany has just been passed in parliament with a large majority.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

From what I understand it won't actually come into effect for quite a while...and after the elections. Convenient!

[martinuzz]

Meanwhile in Serbia, a country heavily influenced by the (anti-gay) Russian orthodox church, and where more than half of the population regards homosexuality as a disease, Ana Brnabic has become the first lesbian PM of the country. It did take two days of debating in parliament to get her confirmed into office, with 157 votes in favour, and 55 against.

[Moddan]

The leader of the free West, Angela Merkel, voted against gay marriage. Not that it mattered. Legalization of gay marriage in Germany has just been passed in parliament with a large majority.

She voted against it to balance out the fact that she made it possible in the first place with removing the whip for this decision. She stated that this is a conscience thing and there is no guideline for her party members on this one. Personally voting against it is probably because of her Christian background and to appease a bit those who are against it. Typical example of her ambiguity instinct that kept her in power for so long.

It is also a clever move to allow this to happen now because elections are very close and this would have been a useful campaign theme for her opponents. I guess she'll keep on winning.

[Helgoland]

Actually she tried to maneuver the issue to after the election. The SPD forced her hand after the Greens and Liberals had provided the opportunity to do so.

[martinuzz]

The German Bundestag approved of a new law that was proposed in march by Minister of Justice Heiko Maas. From september of this year onwards, social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others can be fined up to a maximum of 50 million euros when they do not remove messages that spread hatred within 24 hours after being reported.

There is a lot of criticism on the new law, with opponents claiming it is in contradiction of the right to freedom of speech.

The new law was proposed, after a study showed that currently, internet companies often ignore reports of hatespeech.
For example, the research showed that Twitter only removed 1% of messages that were reported by users to be breaking the law.
Facebook removed 39%, YouTube 90%.

Worldwide, Germany has amongst the most strict laws about libel, and publicly inciting violence. Denying the Holocaust can lead to hefty prison sentences. Online however, these laws are rarely effected.

The new law is supposed to change that. If messages that 'are clearly in breach of the law', - not only hatespeech, but also libel and inciting violence - are not removed within 24 hours after being reported, the internet company at first faces a fine of 5 million euros. With further neglicence, the fine can increase up to 50 million euros.
For messages that are offensive, yet not directly in breach of law, the removal term is 7 days instead.
The law is intended specifically for internet companies that have more than 2 million (German) users. Facebook has about 30 million users in Germany.

Human rights organisations, and internet freedom organisations condemn censorship, and warn that the law can have the unwanted side effect of internet providers removing harmless content unnescessarily, out of fear for fines. They say this can lead to 'unpredictable online censorship', when tech companies themselves have to start deciding which messages are appropriate, and which aren't.
Facebook itself also warned that 'threatening with excessive fines will only contribute to the removal of legal content'.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/haatbericht-niet-op-tijd-verwijderd-techbedrijf-in-duitsland-riskeert-boete-van-50-miljoen-euro~a4503691/

[smjjames]

Inb4 Twitter gets fined for not moderating Trump's twitter.