Angela Merkel and German 'Freedom' of Speech

Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, spoke at an event for the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Berlin last week. During the speech, she attempted to explain why limits to freedom of expression must exist, accidentally demonstrating the intentional attempt by many to erode the fundamental foundation of liberty - freedom of speech.

“We have freedom of expression in our country. For all those who claim that they can no longer express their opinion, I say this to them: If you express a pronounced opinion, you must live with the fact that you will be contradicted. Expressing an opinion does not come at zero cost.”

“But freedom of expression has its limits. Those limits begin where hatred is spread. They begin where the dignity of other people is violated. The house will and must oppose extreme speech. Otherwise our society will no longer be the free society that it was.”