European Parliament member Marcel de Graaff: Criticism of migration will become criminal offence

Albawaba
Sun, 02 Dec 2018 12:49 UTC

© AFP/FilePhoto

Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a pro-refugee rally in central London.

A video of Marcel de Graaff, member of the European Parliament (MEP) while discussing the UN's compact on migration and EU's intention to criminalize hate speech against migrants has been shared and criticized widely on social media.

Shortly before an international congress is scheduled to take place in Marrakech, Morocco on 10 and 11 December, Graaff warned EU citizens that there countries are set in to sign a joint agreement on criminalising hate speech against migrants considering migration as a human right.

In the video, Graaff says that EU countries are set in to sign this legal framework which obligates signing countries to build new legislation on hate speech definition to include criticizing migrants.

According to Graaff, criticizing migration policies might lead to jail under the new law and if it was acted upon and media outlets that allow criticism of migration can also be shut down according to the new law in a step seeking to make migration a human right recognized internationally.

Europeans' opinions were split over the law.

Critics considered it contradicted to the free speech rules that have been always essence of the western civilization.

Campaigns were raised by Europeans in different countries to stop their governments from signing the pact.

Meanwhile, some agreed on proposing a law that criminalize criticism of migrants, but not the criticism of "government policies" on migration and asylum.

Americans also jumped on the story.

The EU draft law, known as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, has been controversial since it was first discussed, especially as EU governments have been split on migration governmental policies for years now.

It was first suggested by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel in 2015 when she proposed an open-door migration policy across the EU.

Many EU countries said they will not sign on the agreement; including Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland and Poland.

While it is still not legally binding, Europeans are cautiously looking forward to Marrakech meeting to see if EU will approve this law or not.

Comment: They're not even hiding any pretense of upholding any sort of freedom of speech. Don't like the pathological immigration policy of your government? Say anything about it and you'll go to jail. This is truly astonishing! At this point, how can the EU actually pretend to be anything but a fascist state?

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