> Going so far to regulate what you ought to say or to watch.

Native born German. Calling BS on that crap.

I recommend reading up on "freedom from" vs. "freedom to". Explains quite a lot of differences between the European tradition of ensuring people are "free from" an potentially oppressive state vs. the US tradition of "freedom to".

In each "freedom of speech" index I know, Germany fares better than the US, or Britain, or Australia. Or quite a lot of different countries tbh.

RSF World Press (lower is better): - Germany 14/180 - Britain 18/180 - Australia 33/180 - USA 64/180

Freedom House (higher is better): - Germany 95/100 - Britain 92/100 - Australia 95/100 - USA 84/100

Edit: Typo

No one actually believes their BS and I doubt you actually do either.

They use so many bullshit and mental gymnastics to "score" Germany well despite their appalling "free speech" laws. I think it's very fair to say anyone appealing to either of these index's isn't even attempting to argue in good faith.

How did that work out for Alex Pretti, the protesting nurse that was murdered by the State recently?

Maybe he shouldn't've fought with cops while carrying a concealed loaded gun?

Don't you guys foam at the mouth about the 2nd Amendment? Which one is it, does he have a right to bear arms or does he not?

Got a source or just adding to the daily ragebait?

Seems like Trump always has an explanation, and is always the aggrieved party, and only seems to lose unfair/hoax elections vs his integrous ones

Isn't carrying a gun another right?

In Germany you will get arrested if you publicly talk about Gaza and Israel

Can you cite that please? Theres more going on with a lot pf the Gaza/Israel stuff (that im not unsympathetic to) that can blur the lines somewhat

This article does not say someone was arrested because of a public talk about Gaza and Israel. A local government has cut funding to a local org because of a disagreement. Nobody was arrested.

One of the problems I have with the right wing is they literally just decry anything and everything that doesnt only benefit themselves and when they get in office they do exactly the same thing with the subtext being "Tough shit, now I get to wear the Boot"

What does that have to do with people being arrested?

Having had that exact discussion with someone in Alexanderplatz right in front of the police building, nope.

This is just BS. I had and saw many public discussion also on German Marktätze on this topic, some quite heated. Nobody was arrested or removed from their job or otherwise sanctioned. But of course people were disagreeing. The right to free speech is not the right to freedom from contradiction!

To be fair, that'll happen in New York if you protest the internationally-illegal sale of real estate in Palestine taking place in a synagogue. Here's the event, a law was passed protecting religious institutions from protest (but was really for this).

https://theintercept.com/2026/05/11/real-estate-expo-israel-...

German here. The law as written actually permits most of the speech: As long as you avoid a number of banned phrases and don't voice explicit support for groups classified as terrorist organizations, your speech is protected - in theory.

In practice, wondrous things may start to happen already long before you reach that threshold, such as police forgetting their own laws, your venue, backup venue and second backup venue suddenly all deciding they cannot host you, politicians trying to fire you - or you suddenly realizing that you're unable to access any kind of bank account or credit card because the EU put you on a sanctions list (behind closed doors, without telling you, with no option to appeal).

But none of that has to do with overregulation - on the contrary, those measures are often in violation of the law and courts have frequently decided in favor of pro-palestinian activists and axed them.

I can't take these indexes seriously when Germany is about to outright ban an entire political party. The US takes the first amendment very seriously.

That "political party" is the modern-day Nazis.

Like, actual Nazis.

If you think Nazis should be given a seat at the political table, especially in Germany, then I don't think I can take you seriously.

Faring better than some other country doesn't mean its good.

Try calling up rt.com via a German phone network.

And calling our chancellor a liar will get your house searched.

> But this is none of your business.

The culture described extends far into things that are my business, like being able to walk around without being shot.

I was referring to"hey you probably shouldn’t blow your hand off”. I am not against regulations per se, I am German after all.

But a sane discussion should be had how far this should go. Regulating things which are dangerous to the person taking a risk knowingly is over the top in my book.

If you are in the same insurance pool as me (state funded or otherwise) it is at least some of my business, yes?

I don't know when you were born but I'm pretty sure Germany was regulation capital of the world already back then and this is just your nostalgia bias speaking (also I agree with you Germany is currently way way overregulated but also outsiders have no way to really understand the degree of overregulation).

But also the US pretty much care too much when you for example try to blow your head off with drugs instead of a gun or explosives so the grass is not that green on the other side either.

The regulation from Europe is worse. They literally use satellite pictures to check and fine farmers..

No the regulation "from Europe" whatever that means is not worse, that's just the usual dumb anti-EU propaganda. If by that you perhaps mean checking EU agro subsidies against the actual size and use of declared fields, then that is not regulation, it's just checking the subsidies are not defrauded, which is a huge issue. Every farmer is free not to ask for the subsidies. But for most of the EU regs, the member country can choose how to implement them. Usually countries manage to not overburden their people with that. The German problem is homegrown.

HN is flooded with anti-Europe sentiment recently. I don't know how much of it is Americans genuinely believing or, or if it's astroturfing.

It's truly amazing how far the propaganda against the EU (for all its legitimate faults) has gone.

I wish you would have to life one with that bureaucratic nightmare / crony employment program that you put on your fellow human. I have no stronger curse.. The eu had one job - to protect europe, from war, from statesized companies like china and get it competitive again before the innovators take itall. It has failed in all fields.

...What?

I live in the EU. There is no war in the EU, that's surely a success by your own count. And it's cute to mention several "jobs" as one job. Perhaps you would like to narrow down your argument, if there is one.

Ukrainewar is a direct result of the change by trade policies. Libya, syria and algeria are barely stable. major industries are dying or migrating away, and the solution to this is firesales of smaller industries to incentivize "partners" to lower trade barriers and sell for a limited timemore from major industries.

The solution of choice in tech seems to be rent-seeking by institutions. The eu is dying and good riddance. Maybe its successor can be better.

Reality be the absolute and not a social construct at all. Either deal with it or become another USSR that tries to wing it while lying to itself to the bitter end.

You are completely wrong in everything you just wrote.

Well, it's a 60 day old account. Totally legit.

Fine farmers for what? Without context I have no idea whether this is a reasonable use of satellite pictures or not.

Depends which side of the wall you were born on…

Apparently, West...

Edit: before 1989.

> But this is none of your business. I live in Germany, where everything is regulated by well meaning people.

Assuming you haven't lived in the US I think you're severely underestimating some of the stupidity going on.

So let's say your house has a thatched roof in California where it's bone dry and hot. At that point, the person lighting the fireworks will still say it's none of your business. Even if it's illegal and every year houses burn down as a result.

I don't think you get how much of an 'I don't care about anyone else, because FREEDOM... Murica' mindset exists unless you've lived there

You wouldn't be allowed to have a thatched roof house in California specifically because of the fire risk.

And if someone wanted to and had a bunch of reasons why it was a good thing you would turn around and be all "but the law" and point to the fire risk.

Fine, bad example. The point being, people light fireworks in places with extreme fire risk. And don't you dare tell them they cannot. None of your business is the kind response

Let's say you don't live in a California. Say you live near the East coast somewhere, as 2/3rds of the country does.

Sure, but our economy stomps most East Coast states (hello, New York!) and we aren't neighbors of the confederacy.

A thatched roof?

Thatched roofs don't exist in CA.

Oh no we cannot allow plebs to do anything that has the possibility no matter how small of a bad outcome.

> So let's say your house has a thatched roof in California

You mean like a temporary shelter in woods or maybe it’s a translation issue?

> Assuming you haven't lived in the US I think you're severely underestimating some of the stupidity going on

Speaking of, having a thatched roof in a dry fire prone area would sort of fall in the same category.

Have you experienced Silvesterabend (New Year's Eve) in a major German city? It feels like a warzone. In the context of fireworks specifically, this image of Germany as an over-regulated nanny state feels particularly at odds with my experience of Germany.

I am sure they had all their permits and contingencies required perfectly done and everything was executed in perfect compliance.

Best fireworks show I’ve ever seen in my life was in the middle of the German ruhrgebiet, on a small hill overlooking a shallow valley full of villages, each one setting off a seemingly-infinite round of colour and sound for the hour or so, New Year’s Eve, early 2000’s…

It was a panoramic display of unregulation.