Pirate Party says free speech has limits

DPA/Neumuenster, Germany

Germanys fledgling Pirate Party, tipped to perform well in upcoming state elections, has clearly rejected Holocaust denial at its party convention yesterday after accusations that its free-speech manifesto was too lenient on neo-Nazis. The Holocaust is an indisputable part of history. To deny or relativise it under the veil of freedom of opinion runs counter to the partys principles, read a statement that was voted for by the 1,500 members present. The move came after a party member told journalists on the fringes of the convention that there was room for discussion on the Holocaust leading to an interruption in the days proceedings. The Pirates, who last year came from nowhere to win seats in two of Germanys 16 state legislatures Saarland and Berlin have ratings of almost 10% in the states of Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, which go to the polls in May. Party members also voted in a new leader, Bernd Schloemler, to take over from incumbent Sebastian Nerz, who held the post for the past year. Earlier yesterday, they decided not to extend the current one-year term for party leaders, arguing that the frequent changes kept office holders in touch with grassroots members. The Pirates campaign on a social-liberal platform of political transparency, drawing on the role of the Internet and its empowerment of citizens by enabling a more direct form of democracy. We carry a huge responsibility because we know that society will change fundamentally, said party manager Marina Weisband, adding that the fledgling party has already written history. To deal with the Pirates growing role, members voted to increase the size of the executive panel from seven to nine. The convention centre in the northern town of Neumuenster, in Schleswig-Holstein, was fitted with about 2km of network cables, enabling Internet-savvy members to stay online.

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Pirate Party says free speech has limits