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How is it censorship? DomA Send a noteboard - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM
No one censored her. Her opinions go against what the Olympic movement stands for and expect the participants in their games to stand for. What she did and said violated the Olympic values, so the Greek committee banned her.

That's one thing to whine about individual rights, but there's no fundamental right to participate in the Olympics. The event and its organizers stand for certain basic values and they promote them (and to make it clear, those values don't exactly include xenophobia and racism). They're perfectly within their right to ask of those wishing to participate to their event to adhere to those values and rules or else abstain competing in olympic events. It's not like athletes don't know what the Olynpic movement stands for and ask them to stand for.

Freedom of expression doesn't extend to facing no consequence whatsoever for the opinions you expressed and how you did it. One might well have the right to publish articles demeaning, say, to feminist groups, but you just don't go complaining if one of them one day invoke this to refuse you a job. Try getting a job with a catholic organization if you're publicly a pro- aborption militant. One might have the right to express xenophobic views, but that person shouldn't expect an international organization that officially promote the opposite values to welcome her at one of their events with open arms... or that Greece where there's a highly xenophobic party that attracted a lot of bad international attention last spring would be too keen to risk an international scandal by letting a woman who makes xenophic jokes on Twitter represent her.





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Am I the only one who thinks Voula Papachristou should not have been kicked out of the Olympics? - 25/07/2012 10:55:19 PM 1205 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 709 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country? - 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM 864 Views
If that's how the country wants to run itself - 25/07/2012 11:13:04 PM 737 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt. - 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM 892 Views
So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 786 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run... - 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM 930 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals. - 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM 669 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government. - 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM 653 Views
Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 699 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 728 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 728 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 402 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 802 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 713 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 799 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 636 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 772 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 638 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 751 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 696 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 689 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 709 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 778 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 688 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 344 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 647 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 837 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 626 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 662 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 830 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 364 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 681 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 787 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 908 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 803 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 922 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 688 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 424 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 661 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 952 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 706 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 462 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 380 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 766 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1194 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 683 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 697 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 665 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 719 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 623 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 671 Views
i have a feeling you are being influenced by that pic they run with all the articles about her? - 27/07/2012 02:14:13 PM 685 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 598 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 812 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 691 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 714 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 715 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 728 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 483 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 546 Views

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