The Associated Press reported on YouTube censoring the video clip that was originally blamed for attacks against U.S. Embassies across the world on 9/11 and the murder of a U.S. Ambassador and others. Attacks continue today. New reports indicate the attack was preplanned and the movie clip simply a red herring to stoke more riots.
Recent reports, via LA Times, and reported in a previous piece here at WuA, show that the Obama administration attempted to get the movie clip taken down from YouTube, standing for our attackers rather than American's right of free speech, no matter how idiotic that free speech is.
What is unclear is if YouTube issued their ruling which said the movie clip was "clearly within" the YouTube guidelines and would stay up at YouTube, before or after the Obama administration tried to get it removed.
Via AP:
The 14-minute video is a trailer to an amateurish, low-budget movie titled "Innocence of Muslims," which depicts Muhammad as a feckless philanderer who approved of child sexual abuse. Muslims find it offensive to depict Muhammad in any manner, let alone insult the prophet.
YouTube has elected to leave the video on its website, saying it doesn't violate its policies, but has blocked access to it in Egypt and Libya. The Google-Inc. video site took the unusual step Wednesday of publicly commenting on the video, a practice it typically eschews.
"We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions," YouTube said in a statement. "This can be a challenge because what's OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere. This video — which is widely available on the web — is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube. However, given the very difficult situation in Libya and Egypt we have temporarily restricted access in both countries. Our hearts are with the families of the people murdered in yesterday's attack in Libya."
Make no mistake, no one that I have seen in all the linkage over the last few days has had anything good to say about the movie trailer, in fact just the opposite, it is crude, rude, idiotic and offensive, but it is free speech and does not call for violence or recommend violence in any way.
Time will tell if the Obama administration will attempt to pressure YouTube into complying with violating American's constitutionally protected free speech rights and whether they will succeed.
[Update] Since YouTube refused to comply, the Obama administration is attacking free speech by targeting the filmmaker, in compliance with his marching orders from Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood's demands.
