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French Anti-Racism Group
Sues Yahoo For Hosting Auctions of Nazi-Related Items
The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism, known by its French initials LICRA, is suing Yahoo! for having Nazi-related items on auction Web sites that can be accessed in France. France has strict laws against selling or displaying anything that incites racism. Sales of Nazi artifacts are against the law. "In the United States (these auctions) might not be illegal, but as soon as you cross the French border, it's absolutely illegal," said Marc Knobel, a researcher for LICRA. A spokeswoman for Yahoo! said the company does not comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit is due to be heard by a Paris court on May 15. LICRA is asking Yahoo! to make all such auctions inaccessible to Web surfers in France and its territories like Martinique and French Guyana, Knobel said. It has asked a French judge to fine the California-based company $96,000 for each day it does not comply. While no such items are for sale on Yahoo!'s French site, Knobel said there are currently over 1,000 Nazi-related items, including pictures, coins and flags, on sale at an auction site that is accessible in France. Knobel said LICRA may consider similar lawsuits in other countries where Nazi-related items are banned. Last September, Yahoo! was commended in front of a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for combatting racism on the Internet by banishing more than 70 sites from its network whose hosts were hate groups. Comment: I'm curious - if i wrote to this so-called anti-hate group, and complained that i found the Internet sale and promotion of an instrument of the most barbaric and cruel torcher, in verity an instrumnt of death - hateful and offensive, i wonder if they'd react in the same manner? Oh! that instrument of torcher? called the Catholic "crucifix". What are my chances of positive action by this self-appointed anti-hate hate group? What are they really on about?
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