Furniture giant IKEA has agreed to pay 6 million euros ($6.5 million) towards a government fund compensating victims of forced labor under Germany’s communist dictatorship, in a move campaigners hope will pressure other companies to follow.

    • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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      2 months ago

      It’s s bit different when you do forced labour for actual crimes and not just because you had an opinion. Disagreeing with the government is not the same as rape and murder. These germans were sentenced to life for belieiving in modern rights.

      Actual crimes, as in manslaughter, rape, stealing from another.

      • B0rax
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        2 months ago

        No. It is not different. Nobody should be forced to do Labour. Prisons are not supposed to be money making machines. Prisons are supposed to reintegrate people into society. But I guess the US has not heard about that.

        • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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          2 months ago

          If you run over children with your car and have to fix potholes for 8 yeara, that’s ok in my books. Having to do that because you think women should be able to vote IS different.

          But that’s merely my opinion and fits my world view perfectly

          And it’s not about making money, it’s about having consiquenses. The prisoner working has a guard (at least where I live) whose pay is more than what the convict makes.

          • B0rax
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            2 months ago

            Again. It should not be about punishment but about re-socializing.

            At least in theory.

            • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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              2 months ago

              Part of resocialising is that you get to meet your demons daily. I’m from Finland and our system has one of the highest success rates in the world.

              You downvoting me makes it seem like you’d prefer to coddle someone that chose harm, and I find that apalling.

              • B0rax
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                2 months ago

                I did, in fact, not downvote you.

      • Schmoo@slrpnk.net
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        2 months ago

        Right, we only do forced labour for people who smoke weed, which is morally superior.

          • jenesaisquoi
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            2 months ago

            Like providing health care to women?

            You see, people are pointing this out because what is and isn’t a crime changes over time. Slavery however is always bad. Hence we should never enslave people.

            • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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              2 months ago

              What is and isn’t a crime that lands you hard time or civic duty hasn’t really changed much at all during modern times, at least in Finland.

              When they do, the consequences change with them.

              For exmple having a repeat DUI person clean roadsides is a great way to rehabilitate.

      • Saleh
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        2 months ago

        Who gets to decide what “actual crimes” are and what aren’t? For instance in Germany for good reason hate speech is forbidden and in rare cases can put you in prison. By US standards inconceivable. Meanwhile in the US people are coerced into plea deals for crimes they didnt commit, or get mandatory minimum sentences for drug posession in small quantities.

        • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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          2 months ago

          I don’t think anyone with a relatively good conscience thinks The US has it right. Luckily they are only 3% percent of the world.

      • uis@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        So make having an opinion a crime and it’s fine?

        • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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          2 months ago

          Yeah, a few hundred thousand more than e.g. China. That’s if you don’t count the 11 milloin Uyghurs in what can only be called concentration camps.