Christopher Hitchens' Speech at Danish Embassy: 2/24/06 

Thank you for filming and uploading this. It makes one ponder the thousands of other small gatherings Hitch had like this, and all the intellectual gold that will never be available for us to plunder... Death to fascism.

I heard about this. Christopher mentioned it in another video and said that it got no media coverage whatsoever; looks like he wasn't kidding. Good thing you captured this.

thx for the support christopher ... you are missed... love from Denmark

Thank you for posting this. It got no news coverage and our Hitch is gone. This is a pearl.

What a brilliant moment. Thanks so much for capturing it on video and sharing it with us!

I think the sign saying 'free speech' held by the guy in the background is made from Lego. Wonderful.

The story of the Danish Muhammed cartoons is a sad story, indeed. I found a daily newspaper from 2/2/2006. It mentions major newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Norway that reprinted at least one of the cartoon images. As we know, except for "Free Inquiry", a small magazine, NO publication in America reprinted the cartoons. That's what happens when FEAR and PROFIT overpower PRINCIPLES and FREEDOM and REASON!

Hitchens actions in that clip are exactly why the world will miss him so much!

Hitchens is sorely missed. What a great free thinker.

I don't know of anyone with as much intellectual honesty as Christopher Hitchens. His contemporaries and comrades (Dawkins, Dennet, Haris etc.) come close but none of them possess the integrity that he had. I can only hope and strive to become at least 1/10th of what he was. I'm missing his wisdom badly and I don't think that'll change any time soon.

That gives me hope, as an Australian atheist, to see that other people are looking to further the cause of rational thought. :D

And it is not a simple disagreement as you put it. I have not said that people cannot say negative things or have opinions but there has to be a line drawn. Your view is - 'Fascists should have the right to print whatever they want, without fear of physical retaliation.'

Free speech anytime anywhere no compromise !!! Thank you Hitch

Is that a mickey of Shmirnoff in his hand?

At least Britain remains a secular country. As usual, the motherland's ahead of the colonies.

They were meant to offend. If the artists who drew them had not got a reaction they would have continued until they got one. These were not cartoons about individuals but making generalisations about a group which were totally unjustified. As I said, like depicting all Jews as money grabbers or Black people as rapists. This kind of thing has consequences.

Well done Mr Hitchens. Thank goodness there is someone brave enough and articulate enough to speak sense to the Muslim world.

This guy met Hitch ! So jealous

You gotta love Christopher Hitchens. What a wise man.

@SgtDICTION ... do you remember which video he mentioned it on?

'Fascists should have the right to print whatever they want, without fear of physical retaliation. Tha is what keep society free and civil.' Words can be as destructive as physical violence. And those words can also lead to physical violence. If I ran a campaign accusing someone of being a paedophile and he subsequently got burnt in his own house - would that make me innocent? Is it okay for me to bully someone at work with words as long as I don't physically harm them?

PETA? What the fuck, where did that come from?

I did use "sentimental" in the proper context, but if you want to play the grammar nazi game, you should probably make a better attempt at the spelling of elementary words such as "nonsense" and "frivolous." Also, spare me the ad hominems. You're quite good at criticism, yet you fail to make a point.

i think i'll copy that and post it on the EDL page thanks

and untill it does, as long as religion, especially religions such as islam and christianity are considered as an actual possibility of truth, it will always be possible for man to interpret these so called rules however he wants and therefore justify pretty much anything he wants.

What you trying to say? one is wrong & the other is OK?

Not all left-wingers like Stalin. Most don't.

Free speech forever! The Hitch rules...

Hitchens is like a hero from an epic story.

read up on his support for the Jewish state. There's nothing religious about his support for it.

Hitch looks rough as fuck in this. Totally agree though, too many western woollies assert free speech in half apologetic, mumbling tones these days. Free speech is not some embarrassing product of Western decadence to be swept under the carpet. It is one of human civilization's pinnacle achievements .

Damnit, I cant hear a thing Hitchens is saying.

I am sorry to be this rude but... Where the hell were our backup? where were the champions of free speach? where were our allies that we have bled with in ex-jugoslavia, Afganistan and Irak? I am sorry to say that you bailed on us when we needed you the most. An not in a situation where we were being selfish or greedy, but in a situation where we were defending one of the free worlds most basic rights. Come on US. get in the ring, even if it not about oil.

My original point was not about the cartoons but total freedom to say whatever you like. In any case, these cartoons do more than offend - they make unjustified generalisations about a group. And you fail to answer or comprehend that your freedom of speech spiel does not work in the real world when it depends on the power you have to respond. You continue to ignore this fact. You're so stuck in this pavlovian dogma of free speech.

hahaa, you never actually SAW the drawings now, did you? Hmm?

I suggest you look up the definition of 'sentimental' before you come here with your stock answers. And if you want to make an argument - try actually backing it up without substance instead of frivilous shite like 'This is complete nonsence and I'm sure you are well aware of it'. The difference between depiction and words to characterise a group is?

wow you've actually gone searching for comments - months back!! well next time try reading them carefully before commenting, or deciding what I've seen or haven't seen. Such arrogance develops such ignorance!!

His mother was Jewish.

What an insipid argument! Are you so infantile that you need someone to explain to you the difference between slander and free speech? The constitution by no means protects the former nor does anyone support the former. I would suggest taking a basic college government course (or retaking one) because this debate seems to be out of your intellectual realm. You're arguing points that noone vouches for and thus time and time again proving your incompetency.

As for your last argument, spare me the sentimental crap. For someone who criticizes others for lacking a "real world" perspective, you seem to be quite in need of one yourself. At some point, all of us will run into some intolerant xenophobe who slanders us if only for our skin color or sexual orientation. It's a contingency of life. This is no excuse, however, for the stultification of free speech. You may claim to preach pragmatism, but you in fact assert quite the contrary.

Who was assaulted for reading their book? What kids were killed? how many? don't try to justify your own bigoted beliefs with such pathetic "moral" arguments. Right is right and wrong is wrong, irrespective of whether its a 1930's jew or a post 2000 muslim. My argument is based on fact - yours on slanderous claims used to justify the debasing of a people so you can continually attack them. You serve to demonstrate the exact point i was making below...

As for Bush understanding Hebrew - well that clearly states that hes only listening to one side! you overlook the truth of Sharon, and that they weren't an attack on Jews or Judaism but on Americas policy & Sharon's past & then present actions. Touchy touchy darling - you hold yourself in too high esteem! But hey at least you belong to "civilised" half of Europe! LOL

I've yet to see an argument in favor of slander. Of course I can't expect someone who uses an ad hominem like "cuntwad" to really see past their own delusion.

You should try to watch an interview with the cartoonist, before making generalitiazions of yor own. Just searh RU-vid for: Muhammed cartoon artist Kurt Westergaard interview, Part 1

Wiped clean sounds ugly, but ya a cure sure would be nice.

You talk about truth and reason and ridicule those who are religious and yet support a man who claims invading Iraq was about a humanitarian cause and defending the 'west' from Islamic terror. It was obviously nothing to do with making a lot of money (testing and selling new weapons, emptying out the tax coffers) giving the US a base in the ME and because Iraq is the second largest oil producing nation in the world and we'd already been trying create regime change in Iraq since 1991. Pathetic.

hitchens is great, he is not jewish

Thanks for that LOL. and as for the attempt to piss on anything - well you only managed to piss on your own two feet LOL - please don't waste my time with such a demonstration!

Nothing - to use your own description, your "civilised" LOL

So what?

Atheism will triumph eventually.

yeh go hitchens

(PART1) hmmm.....Freedom of speech - freedom of expression? It amazes me how people seek to intentionally attack, defame, insult, offend, and generally ply rubbish about any people. Whilst claiming sanctuary behind the right of freedom of expression. Claiming "we must defend our right!" your right to what?

Who you kidding with this crap? Listen moosh I've got to cook dinner for the family & you have to go and I don't know prepare for your crusade!!!!

and islam

I'll compare the strategy, that history has shown to be used successfully - with the guised attempts made today to incite hatred. The rest of your ramble is a pathetic hypocritical justification. PS nice profile - shows us all exactly what you are!

lol

god he sounds so right wing, it's all about us and them, enemies and friends, democracy and non democracy.....i'm afraid it's not that simple Chris!!!

@mustafaweewees the same thing goes for the bible and the christian god...