Jonah Yannis

Controversial Freedoms

By the time most American students enter high school, they have been acquainted with the Constitution of this country and more specifically the First Amendment. The amendment that protects the American peoples’ right to free speech, protects press/media, and protects the freedom of worship and religion. Because these freedoms and protections have been in our Constitution since the foundation of our country, they seem required for any functioning democracy. However, this is not always the case, while these freedoms and protections help a democracy survive and succeed, they are not required for democracy to work. European nations are perfect examples of this, the two most notable examples are in England and in France. England passed strong “anti-slander laws” approved by their parliament in 2013, which says anybody who hurts someone through publication/general publicity, can be charged under this law. In France, all conspicuous religious symbols in public are banned, including the Hijab and the burka, which are instrumental to the Muslim faith.