@Glennn,
Glennn wrote:Does Germany prohibit anti semitic language?
This seemingly simple question probably requires a somewhat longer answer.
The word “Semitic” was first used by the German historian August Ludwig von Schlözer in 1781 to bind together languages of Middle Eastern origin that have some linguistic similarities. The speakers of those languages, however, do not otherwise have shared heritage or history.
After Jews were granted equal rights in the German Empire in 1879, German journalist Wilhelm Marr and like-minded antisemites used the term to present themselves in a positive light and to give the anti-Jewish movements of the time a programmatic, ideological and “scientific” veneer. The term is misleading, as it refers to the Semitic family of languages, which includes both Hebrew and Arabic, among others, although the term “antisemitism” was intended to refer to all forms of hostility towards Jews. Despite these inaccuracies, the term remains firmly established in the language.
Many Yiddish words have become part of everyday German language - after all, Jewish culture and language have been present in Germany for 1700 years. Nowadays, however - and in the case of some words for decades or even centuries - their meaning often has a negative connotation.
Do you refer to such as antisemitic language?
No, that's not prohibited at all but part of colloquial (regional) German and various dialects, like e.g. Low German.
Section 130 (Incitement of masses) of the German Criminal Code deals with the prosecution and penalty of antisemitism, too.
The principles of sentencing are dealt with in Section 46
Quote:Section 46
General principles
(1) {...]
(2) When fixing the penalty the court weighs the circumstances which speak in favour of and those which speak against the offender. The following, in particular, may be taken into consideration:
the offender’s motives and objectives, in particular including racist, xenophobic, antisemitic or other motives evidencing contempt for humanity,
[... ... ...]
(3) [...]
