A French anti-racist group has asked a Paris court for an
injunction to block access to a US web site that includes neo-Nazi
and racist statements. The case, brought by International Action
for Justice (AIPJ) against the internet portal Front14.org, will
again raise some of the complex issues of jurisdiction last seen
when anti-racism groups sued Yahoo!
The Front 14 portal currently offers domain hosting, web
animation and marketing services to groups supporting the Nazi era.
It supports over 400 individual neo-Nazi web sites, according to
the AIPJ. The group is asking for General Communications, a
US-based web site hosting company which carries the Front 14
portal, to be banned from offering access to the web site to French
users. It is against French law to publish material that incites
racial hatred.
The AIPJ also wants AFA, the French association of ISPs whose
members cover 87% of French internet users, to block access to the
site. The AFA previously refused the AIPJ’s direct request because
it said such action would require controls on all internet users,
in breach of their privacy rights.
The case will again bring those worried about the growth of
extreme material on the internet and free speech activists head to
head. It will also revisit the difficulties in applying national
censorship laws to the internet. Yahoo! is still fighting a French
court ruling of last November that ordered the portal to block
access to certain auction sites selling Nazi memorabilia. Although
Yahoo! removed the auctions, it is seeking a declaration from a US
court that the French court has no authority over it.
