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2014 August 27 - September 2 [POLITICS]
LDP signals its intention to ban popular demonstrations near Diet together with hate speech campaigns |
At the first meeting of an LDP project team formed to tackle hate speech problems two days ago, LDP Policy Research Council chair Takaichi Sanae remarked that noisy public demonstrations around the parliament, including the weekly anti-nukes protest, are harming parliamentarians’ work environment. “We have to discuss ways to control these acts without fearing criticism,” she stressed.
Hate speech attacks a person or a group on the basis of race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. Recently in Japan, hate speech campaigns against Korean residents have been increasing. The Japanese government has received from the UN Human Rights Committee a recommendation calling for measures to prevent such actions.
It is outrageous to prohibit peaceful, democratic demonstrations near the Diet building by putting them in the same category as the hate speech actions. This indicates that the LDP regards sovereign citizens’ acts of political expression, which form the very foundation of democracy, as “illegal” acts.
On social networking sites such as Twitter, people began criticizing the LDP as a “dictator” party.
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Two days later, Takaichi said to reporters that she will not work for the creation of new regulations or a revision of the current law to control public demonstrations near the Diet building. She, in effect, due to public opposition, retracted her previous remarks that people’s protest actions should be restricted under the same rules as hate speech campaigns.
Past related articles:
> Why is hate speech increasing in Japan? [August 5, 2013]
> Hate speech should never be tolerated: JCP [June 23, 2013]
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