madam president for years i have been warning that the european arrest warrant could be used to suppress free speech on the internet
this has now happened
on one october dr frederick toben was arrested at heathrow airport on a european arrest warrant issued in germany for alleged xenophobic crimes committed on the internet
dr toben is a holocaust denier
his views are repugnant to all reasonable people
but this is not the point
he has been arrested in britain for publishing his views on the internet in australia
holocaust denial while repellent is not illegal in britain or australia
if this european arrest warrant is executed its use proves that if someone expresses themselves on the internet in terms legal in their own country they can be extradited to another eu country where those views are illegal
this would have profound implications for free speech within nation states
