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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 1339 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 829 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country? - 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM 979 Views
If that's how the country wants to run itself - 25/07/2012 11:13:04 PM 849 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt. - 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM 999 Views
So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 901 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run... - 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM 1044 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals. - 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM 783 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government. - 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM 767 Views
Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 809 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 847 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 842 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 451 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 923 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 826 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 878 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 744 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 911 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 746 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 863 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 816 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 801 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 821 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 884 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 795 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 388 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 763 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 945 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 731 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 771 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 958 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 407 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 793 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 894 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 1023 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 916 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 1037 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 796 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 466 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 770 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 1087 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 826 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 522 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 430 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 846 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1326 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 798 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 807 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 775 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 828 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 742 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 784 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 797 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 709 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 954 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 794 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 821 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 834 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 841 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 528 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 663 Views

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