European human rights court rejects free speech defence of extremist videos

Record ID: 903425

  • Title: European human rights court rejects free speech defence of extremist videos
  • Date: 20th July 2017
  • Summary: ANTWERP, BELGIUM (FILE - NOVEMBER 23, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FOUAD BELKACEM, ALSO KNOWN AS ABU IMRAN, LEADER OF SHARIA4BELGIUM, TALKING TO MEDIA ANTWERP, BELGIUM (FILE - SEPTEMBER 29, 2014) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ANTWERP PALACE OF JUSTICE POLICEMAN WALKING OUTSIDE NEW PALACE OF JUSTICE VARIOUS OF POLICEMEN GUARDING COURTHOUSE ENTRANCE
  • Embargoed: 3rd August 2017 12:11
  • Keywords: Belkacem Europe human rights court Belgian Sharia4Belgium ruling
  • Location: STRASBOURG, FRANCE AND ANTWERP, BELGIUM
  • City: STRASBOURG, FRANCE AND ANTWERP, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA0026QIV77R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Europe's top human rights court ruled on Thursday (July 20) that online videos considered by a Belgian court to be Islamist hate speech were not protected under free speech provisions.
    Fouad Belkacem is a Belgian national currently imprisoned for his activities as the head of Sharia4Belgium, an organisation banned for recruiting foreign fighters to participate in militant activities in the Middle East.
    The European Court of Human Rights evaluated Belkacem's argument that his remarks in a series of videos on online platform YouTube fell within his freedoms of expression and religion and were not meant to incite violence.
    In the videos, Belkacem had called on viewers to "overpower non-Muslims, teach them a lesson and fight them", content the Court called "markedly hateful" and "vehement". He had also called for the violent establishment of Sharia law.
    The ECHR upheld the 2013 decision of Belgium's top court, which found that, far from simply expressing his views, Belkacem had incited others to discriminate on the basis of faith and to violence against non-Muslims.
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