Lars Hedegaard Found Guilty

Update: Via Europe News, the Danish Free Press Society says that Lars Hedegaard will appeal the verdict, to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

Lars Hedegaard states:

The real losers today are freedom of speech and Muslim women. How can we speak up for them if we risk getting a state sanctioned label of racism?

The relevant section: § 266b of the Danish penal code:

"Whoever publicly or with the intent of public dissemination issues a pronouncement or other communication by which a group of persons are threatened, insulted or denigrated due to their race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, religion or sexual orientation is liable to a fine or incarceration for up to two years.”

For the last six months or so we’ve been covering the “hate speech” case against Lars Hedegaard, the Danish author and historian who was charged last year with saying bad things about Muslims, and then later acquitted. As I mentioned last week, the prosecution appealed the verdict to a higher court, and today the appeals court overruled the lower court and reinstated Mr. Hedegaard’s conviction.

Mr. Hedegaard has been fined 5,000 kroner (roughly $1,000) for being “racially offensive” about Muslim men.

Here’s the story from The Copenhagen Post:

Free Speech Advocate Guilty of Racism

High court overrules district court in case about comments about Muslim men

The Eastern High Court today fined Lars Hedegaard, the president of the Free Press Society, 5,000 kroner for making racially offensive comments in December 2009.

“Girls in Muslim families are raped by their uncles, their cousins, or their fathers,” and “When a Muslim man rapes a woman, it is in his right to do so,” were among the comments Hedegaard made during a 35-minute interview at a Christmas party with the author of the blog snaphanen.dk, who subsequently published the comments on the blog.

Today’s decision overturns a decision in January by the Frederiksberg District Court, which stated that while it found Hedegaard’s comments to be insulting, Hedegaard did not know that his controversial comments would be made public.

Last week Hedegaard published a book titled “Muhammeds Piger” (Mohammed’s Girls), in which he writes about issues such as discrimination in Islam and that the belief in predestination.

“Everyone is subject to Allah’s will, but he treats them differently — without stating any other criteria for the discrimination other than his own will,” the book reads.

Women are the main focus of the book, in which the author also expresses his joy over the victory of free speech, referring to the district court’s acquittal in January.

Hat tip and photo: Steen.