Man walks around Seattle with swastika armband and gets punched to ground by passerby

[OWR88]

Here's the thing... if I saw this Nazi on the street, I wouldn't punch him. I would want to punch him, but he has a right to say whatever he wants... but I also wouldn't stop anybody else from punching him or condemn anyone who decided to punch him. He got what he deserved and probably also wanted. If he was on the ground being beaten and kicked, I'd try to stop the attackers and/or call the police.

And your comparison makes no sense. I'm not a Sox fan (if I had to choose, I would go with the Yankees over the Sox). Equating baseball to genocide just doesn't work.

It's never OK to assault someone. There is a line, but that line becomes extremely hard to see when somebody is advocating for and blatantly supporting the ideals that led to the holocaust. You can goosestep around your basement all you want, but when you bring that crap out into public you better expect there to be consequences.

GTFO. You should get punched yourself. Get out and see the real World. Some times you just have to do what is right, and sometimes it is okay to punch someone. You see ISIS you punch them, you see so Qaeda you punch them, you see Nazi you punch them. Plain and simple.

Which part of the Nazi arm band you can't see?

 

[umbrella39]

Well the Nazi's did sort of kill a few people. When you see some idiot walking around glorifying that shit a good smack in the jaw might be apropos. Same goes with a known child rapist. Or an asshole doctor with a God complex (bad night in the ER). It is still very much a crime to do so but if you got the time...

 

[mikeymikec]

It kinda hilarious how people say "free speech", advocate adopting a "live and let live" attitude, and they've (Nazis) got a right as much as anyone else has to a point of view, but a) Nazis are genocidal maniacs and b) they crushed free speech and freedoms for people who weren't just like them. Anyone dressing themselves in the garb of the Nazi is wanting to associate themselves with that use of power and intimidation to get what they want, which is to kill and strip the rights of others who aren't with them. A world war was fought to smack these people down. Anyone who fought in those wars would be asking you why the fuck you would want to allow them to flourish again. If you value such freedoms for all, then you value the very opposite thing that Nazis value, and they flourish through your tolerance by exploiting your values.

So yes, I'm absolutely for punching a Nazi.

 

[justoh]

Mikey showing his lad credentials. Football hooligan.

 

[Bitek]

Well 60 million people died in WWII in large part due to the Nazis. 400K Americans died fighting Nazis in Europe.

So I don't see this as a simple 1A issue, it's also a treason to support Nazis and their causes.

As bad as ISIS or Alqueda is, Nazis were magnitudes worse. Walk around with an "l love bin Laden" t shirt and expect to get knocked the F out.

 

[Ackmed]

You can support someone's right to free speech, and not support the speech they're saying. It's really pretty simple.

We don't get to dish out vigilante street justice, over something we're offended by. That's called regression. People are offended by others t shirts all the time, its not ok to knock them out over it. People are offended by a bumper sticker all the time, its not ok to knock someone out over it. People are offended by words someone else says, its not ok to knock them out over it.

Free speech when used legally, is our right. Its a losing battle trying to debate what offends someone, and not another. What free speech is ok to assault someone over, and not other free speech. There is not some scale that allows for assault, and some that does not. Oh, how dare they wear a Ravens jersey to a Steelers bar on game day and talk shit when winning. Some would warrant that a punch to the face. Most would not. How dare they wear a Castro shirt in Miami. Some would warrant that a punch to the face. Most would not. How dare someone insult you in public, calling you names. Some would warrant that a punch in the face. Most would not. Nazi arm bands are far from the only offensive thing in public. Street justice, or legalized censorship is not a good thing.

Its a slippery slope trying to use different opinions from different people, as to what is offensive enough to warrant assault and what is not. As shitty and pathetic as some people act in what they say/wear, its not ok to assault them over it. Its actually pretty sad that people are ok with violence to take away free speech, but with how "protests" often go, not too surprised. Of course if you flip the script, the same people would be totally against it. You can't have it both ways, you shouldn't have it anyway. Free speech being used legally, is everyone's right. As I said, you can disagree with what someone says, and agree to support their right to say it. This is one of our most fundamental rights.

 

[snoopy7548]

GTFO. You should get punched yourself. Get out and see the real World. Some times you just have to do what is right, and sometimes it is okay to punch someone. You see ISIS you punch them, you see so Qaeda you punch them, you see Nazi you punch them. Plain and simple.

Which part of the Nazi arm band you can't see?

The difference is, I would likely be arrested and go to jail for assaulting him. Whether he's a Nazi or Klansman, assault is assault. He could be arrested for hate speech, but a court or judge would have to deem his speech hateful. There are laws. It's kind of what makes America a pretty good place to live. I think places like Iran and Turkey approve of unfettered assault against unwanted speech.

I've said before that Nazis are despicable and have no place in our society, but the world doesn't get to cater to your wants; there will always be bad people out there and they get to enjoy the same rights as we do. You're the one who should go outside, as it's not as black and white as you think. A Nazi deserves to get knocked out, but that doesn't mean you can just go around assaulting people who spew hateful crap.

 

[HomerJS]

Trump was wrong, obviously, but so are you. Anything nazi related is illegal in my country, and you can even go to prison for denying the holocaust. But free speech rights aren't relevant. Why's it so hard to understand the government monopoly on violence? Even if he weren't allowed to wear that it would then be up to LE. Can't go around punching people. This is a political argument and a defense of law not nazis. Also, #maga

Really?? Did u say so at the time or is this a recent conversion?
I get tired of people like you who don't want to call out wrong just because their "team" are the perps.

I have never advocated violence for anyone exercising their right to free speech. Prince Harry showed up to a Halloween party dress like a Nazi. Should he have his ass beaten? No. A bunch of white supremacists want to show to a town verbally threaten others and get your ass beaten I'm pleased. That's what happened in Charlottesville and what happened here. Verbal threats are still assault.

Its the same story with terrorism. To me terrorism is terrorism and it should be treated the same. People like you and Trump treat terrorism committed by white people vs brown people differently. Trump to this day has failed to call out the mosque attack in Minnesota

 

[feralkid]

It seems a lot of folks don't seem to understand that the First Amendment prevents the government from making any laws abridging the free speech of its citizens.

Conversely, any private citizen can tell any Nazi to stfu all the live long day.

Punching a Nazi may result in a charge of assault and battery, but free speech laws do not apply here.

 

[trenchfoot]

Really?? Did u say so at the time or is this a recent conversion?
I get tired of people like you who don't want to call out wrong just because their "team" are the perps.

I have never advocated violence for anyone exercising their right to free speech. Prince Harry showed up to a Halloween party dress like a Nazi. Should he have his ass beaten? No. A bunch of white supremacists want to show to a town verbally threaten others and get your ass beaten I'm pleased. That's what happened in Charlottesville and what happened here. Verbal threats are still assault.

Its the same story with terrorism. To me terrorism is terrorism and it should be treated the same. People like you and Trump treat terrorism committed by white people vs brown people differently. Trump to this day has failed to call out the mosque attack in Minnesota

Forgive me for diverting away from your main point. However, in addressing the bolded part of your post of which I was particularly interested in, I felt it needed to be emphasized that time after time, we have had Trump making it much more than obvious that he is pandering to a specific group in his base support of which are part of a wider conglomeration of groups that are populated by racists, bigots, supremacists, nativists and Nazis among other vile and divisive organizations.

IMO, due to his tolerance and tacit approval of their existence and actions, he is enabling them and in fact is encouraging them to emerge and identify themselves as legitimate political factions that have sway and influence at the highest levels of our government, something of which these hate groups haven't enjoyed for many decades.

Whether it's a bad thing or good thing that Trump has encouraged these hate based organizations to reveal themselves in all of their hate filled glory is debatable, but Trump has unintentionally made it an issue that would have otherwise escaped the purview and counteractions that reinforces the majority of the nation's belief that these hate based organizations have no place and zero legitimacy in our way of life.

Trump has, by way of his overly exaggerated campaign rhetoric and twitter rage promoted and approved of violence as a way to react to challenges to his legitimacy, to his legacy, his narcissistic personality. In this way I find him personally responsible for the resurgence of these racist hate groups into the body politic of the nation.

In all of the ways that Trump has helped these hate groups gain the legitimacy that both he and they are working toward, he hasn't been branded as the leader of these groups when in fact these groups do consider him their leader, the leader that helped them bring recognition and a false sense of having a rightful, justifiable place among the people and the nation's legitimate political entities.

 

[zinfamous]

Did the guy who punched him have a shield?

 

[BudAshes]

The difference is, I would likely be arrested and go to jail for assaulting him. Whether he's a Nazi or Klansman, assault is assault. He could be arrested for hate speech, but a court or judge would have to deem his speech hateful. There are laws. It's kind of what makes America a pretty good place to live. I think places like Iran and Turkey approve of unfettered assault against unwanted speech.

I've said before that Nazis are despicable and have no place in our society, but the world doesn't get to cater to your wants; there will always be bad people out there and they get to enjoy the same rights as we do. You're the one who should go outside, as it's not as black and white as you think. A Nazi deserves to get knocked out, but that doesn't mean you can just go around assaulting people who spew hateful crap.

Well if a Jury of your peers won't convict you, then really you can just keep knocking them the fuck out.

 

[zinfamous]

It just tickles me how the only issue of "uncomfortable speech" that conservatives have latched onto here in their proud display of "look, I know what der 1st amendment is!" in, well, as long as I have known conservatives...is defending Nazis.

Good job, dumbasses.

And no, this is not the same as John Adams defending the thoroughly unpopular British soldiers after they killed 5 Bostonians. These are fucking Nazis.

You defend Nazis, then this is what you defend:

So, fuck off and get out of this country, you treasonous, murderous assholes.

 

[Ackmed]

The guy with the arm band is a murderer? Got any proof of that? Defending free speech, is not always defending the message, just the ability to express it. Its universal, you don't get to pick what is free speech and what is not. Publically shaming, humiliating, mocking, someone who wears a Nazi arm band is perfectly legal, and I would enjoy doing such a thing. Assaulting them for wearing it, is not legal. Same as assaulting someone for other legal speech.

There is hateful, bigoted, racist, etc speech of all sorts, against all sorts of people. Mainly by people talking to each other. It can also include clothing like in this case.

Its a little sad that someone who tosses the 1st Amendment out the window, it telling someone else to get out of the country.

 

[JSt0rm]

The guy with the arm band is a murderer? Got any proof of that? Defending free speech, is not always defending the message, just the ability to express it. Its universal, you don't get to pick what is free speech and what is not. Publically shaming, humiliating, mocking, someone who wears a Nazi arm band is perfectly legal, and I would enjoy doing such a thing. Assaulting them for wearing it, is not legal. Same as assaulting someone for other legal speech.

There is hateful, bigoted, racist, etc speech of all sorts, against all sorts of people. Mainly by people talking to each other. It can also include clothing like in this case.

Its a little sad that someone who tosses the 1st Amendment out the window, it telling someone else to get out of the country.

Well we arent going to let them express the idea of cleansing the world of certain people.

 

[justoh]

Well we arent going to let them express the idea of cleansing the world of certain people.

Doesn't that make you a fascist.

 

[Victorian Gray]

The guy with the arm band is a murderer? Got any proof of that? Defending free speech, is not always defending the message, just the ability to express it. Its universal, you don't get to pick what is free speech and what is not. Publically shaming, humiliating, mocking, someone who wears a Nazi arm band is perfectly legal, and I would enjoy doing such a thing. Assaulting them for wearing it, is not legal. Same as assaulting someone for other legal speech.

There is hateful, bigoted, racist, etc speech of all sorts, against all sorts of people. Mainly by people talking to each other. It can also include clothing like in this case.

Its a little sad that someone who tosses the 1st Amendment out the window, it telling someone else to get out of the country.

It's more than a little sad when people willfully ignore the meaning of nazis. As I wrote in another thread:

"A point that some seem to forget. To declare oneself a Nazi is to declare that one is willing, even eager, to commit genocide against Jews, Roma, LGBT folks and a few others. It's a declaration/promise of intent to kill a buncha folks. And, if they're lucky, they also get to toss a few bodies into an oven. Some folks don't react peacefully to threats like that. Quelle surprise!"

 

[Victorian Gray]

Doesn't that make you a fascist.

Nope and you know that already.

 

[JSt0rm]

Doesn't that make you a fascist.

justasbad.txt

 

[MajinCry]

If punching a Nazi is wrong, then the Allies were in the wrong for fighting against Nazi Germany.

 

[kage69]

I feel it's appropriate that the puncher be brought up on charges of assault, just want to make that clear. He was not being threatened and his target was unarmed and passive. I can only assume the satisfaction of committing the assault led him to not care about the near certainty it would be recorded. Either that or he was really stupid.

I think like most people here I would not get violent at the mere presence of a nazi. If said nazi attempted to assault me, well that's a goosestep too far and therefor a completely different story.

 

[SlowSpyder]

We are crossing the line with things like this. I'm no Nazi sympathizer, but no matter how ugly we think another person's opinion is, if they're not harming others' rights with what they're doing they should be free to have that opinion and express it. Using violence to harm someone else because their opinion is ignorant, wrong, or even evil to another is not right in regards to what our constitution is and what real freedom is.

 

[JSt0rm]

We are crossing the line with things like this. I'm no Nazi sympathizer, but no matter how ugly we think another person's opinion is, if they're not harming others' rights with what they're doing they should be free to have that opinion and express it. Using violence to harm someone else because their opinion is ignorant, wrong, or even evil to another is not right in regards to what our constitution is and what real freedom is.

Hitlers first speech was in front of 200 people at a beer hall. The idea that we should allow these people to spread their ideas of violence is ridiculous.

 

[brycejones]

If punching a Nazi is wrong, then the Allies were in the wrong for fighting against Nazi Germany.

They just wanted a little land to build a park for the kindergartners on. What was so wrong about that?

 

[feralkid]

If you're going to wear a swastika, you should never be allowed to remove it.