>I think you will find "causing serious offence" is also a crime. At least it is in Australia. Which means even jokes and flippant remarks can result in criminal convictions if you didn't show enough sensitivity to some minority group.

Yes, after fucking over the native population for centuries, hunting them like animals, and closing them in concentration fuck-camps, suddenly the Australian government is all-too sensitive to the effects of ...hate speech.

Yes, I think you'll find the UN is pushing for that worldwide. It's not the UN per se, but mostly the OIC (who think nothing is wrong with stealing children to rape them, but "hate speech", that's a problem). Although I can fully understand why a bunch of islamic dictators feel the need to suppress the truth, and punish any "hate" speech harshly. They certainly do so in their own countries. Europe somehow thinks it's a good idea to oblige.

Interesting titbit "Vlad Dracul", the real one, king of Wallacia, is one of those children stolen under muslim law. Didn't work out to well for the thieves, or for anybody else for that matter. (ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler#Life_in_Edirn... )

I am an American. I knew they had ridiculous laws like this in the UK. I recall hearing about some lady who said something racist on a subway and got arrested. Pretty ridiculous in my opinion.

>The fact that the NSA scandal has become...well such a scandal is that those principals existed to be violated in the first place.

It still would have been pretty big news. The director of national intelligence lied to congress. People likely would have just brushed that under the table (like they are doing now) though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Clapper#False_testimo...