How about a specific law for denying Armenian genocide? How about a law for denying commie crimes (GULag, Holodomor, purges, Great Leap Forward etc.)? How about a law for denying or playing down the German crimes during WW II? Where do we draw the line? This is slippery slope. I find the idea of putting anybody to prison for EXPRESSING AN OPINION (even though it may be a stupid opinion, but so what - liberals are also stupid and we don't put them to jail for that now do we?) to be totally incomprehensible in a civilized society.
The dominance of opinions like Lerle’s were responsible for the death of millions only 60 years ago. It was a national disgrace. Most Germans repudiated Hitler and the Nazis, but their influence is still present. Germany’s laws against Holocaust denial are intended to suppress anti-Semitism and domestic terrorism. Statements that would be considered by a Jewish person in the US to be merely obnoxious are in post-Holocaust Germany frightening. We have laws limiting the use of “fighting words”, I think the purpose of this law is similar. While I am strongly inclined to disagree with it and hope with time these restrictions are lifted, I can understand why these laws were passed.