This is what Lins faces… for telling jokes.
Brazilian comedian Léo Lins has seen sentenced to over eight-years in prison by a federal court in São Paulo.
His crime? Something the totalitarians in Brazil call “inciting intolerance.” In other words, he told a bunch of off-color jokes.
The first video below is from Scotland’s Mark Meechan (AKA: “Count Dankula“), who is no stranger to those so-called “thought crimes”. As seen, Meechan details what exactly Lins did to receive the same amount in prison as slavery runners, kidnappers, rapists, and in some cases, murderers.
But just a bit of context; Meechan was tried under a British court for violating the 2003 Communications Act. He was eventually found guilty of being “grossly offensive”, then fined £800 (roughly $1,100), as reported by Columbia University’s official Global Freedom of Expression database. Keep in mind, other than a hefty fine, he now has a criminal record for the rest of his life.
So, what egregious offense did Meechan commit against the government and people of Great Britain? According to the same Global Freedom of Expression website (cited above), “he was convicted for posting a video on YouTube of a dog that was trained to perform a Nazi salute and to respond to other commands such as ‘gas the Jews’”.
Just me, but I find it interesting that Youtube allows Meechan to keep his channel, but the government goes after him for a criminal offense.
But back to the saga of Léo Lins. As reported by Santiago Carneri of EuroWeeklyNews.com (emphasis mine);
A court has sentenced comedian Leo Lins to more than eight years in prison for inciting intolerance through a stand-up performance viewed by over three million people on YouTube.
On Tuesday 3 June, Brazilian comedian Leo Lins was sentenced to over eight years in prison for making discriminatory remarks in a stand-up routine that targeted a wide range of minority groups — including black people, obese individuals, elderly people, those living with HIV, homosexuals, evangelicals, Indigenous communities, people from the impoverished northeast of Brazil, Jews, and people with disabilities.
The federal court in São Paulo ruled that the right to freedom of expression is not absolute, and when it comes into conflict with human dignity, the latter must prevail.
Just me, but who sets the criteria for being in “conflict with human dignity”?
Do people get sentenced to years in prison for telling a joke that hurt someone’s feelings?
Wait… that’s exactly what’s happening.