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evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

Hopefully I can cunningham’s law a more intelligent response, but libel and defamation aren’t “illegal” as in the police will arrest you for it, it’s a civil violation, so the target of that libel would have to sue you for it.

Different countries have different bars for proving defamation. Famously, British media avoids calling drunk people drunk, and instead uses “tired and emotional” or similar, because if you say someone was drunk, but you can’t prove it, you are liable if they sue. Contrast that to the US, where if you sue someone for calling you drunk, you have to prove that they would know that they are lying.

Both methods are subject to abuse, but since suing costs money, it’s more often a weapon of the privileged, so I prefer the US method.

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yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

it’s a civil violation

Over here it’s very much a criminal offense, so this only applies to some countries.

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- evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Yeah, but I suppose even then, you probably wouldnt be hunted down by the police for slandering a random person, it would only be if you insulted someone wealthy/powerful?
  
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  - yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    The police don’t hunt you down unless the victim filed a criminal complaint with them first. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antragsdelikt
    
    Except for politicians, for some reason they’re exempt though there seem to be plans to change this because it’s incredibly unpopular.
    
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ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
In Spain people were also prosecuted for threats and promoting terrorism. One raper was sentenced to prison for praising ETA and insulting the King but he escaped to Belgium which denied Spain extradition because insulting Spanish king is not a crime there.

Being prosecuted for insulting the King is of course stupid and this law should be changed but this and praising ETA are just more examples of this you can’t legally say in Spain. The law can’t prevent you from saying it but it can punish you afterwards.

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