Tookie’s Execution

It’s depressing to blog about this topic so soon after the recent milestone in the US, but the reaction from Europe about the execution of Tookie Williams yesterday has been vociferous:

The execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams sparked outrage Tuesday throughout Europe, which has a deep aversion to capital punishment sustained by the painful memory of state-organized murder during the Nazi era.

In part, the strong reaction is because the execution was ordered by an Austrian citizen. Bruce Miller mentions the waning enthusiasm for Scharzenegger at the Austrian daily Der Standard on his Old Hickory blog.  Today the newspaper published a column that criticizes the Bishop of Graz for his weak reaction to the execution:

Ziemlich weich ist deshalb auch die Reaktion des Grazer Diözesanbischofs Egon Kapellari, der dem STANDARD erklärt: "Wir können uns nicht jedes Mal aus Österreich melden, wenn irgendwo auf dieser Welt eine Menschenrechtsverletzung passiert." 1.) Kapellari ist für Schwarzenegger zuständig, weil dieser nach wie vor Österreicher ist. 2.) Der Gouverneur pflegt nach wie vor enge Beziehungen zur steirischen Heimat und war das Herzi-Binki der Landeshauptleute Krainer und Klasnic. 3.) Ein Bischof, der die Abtreibung strikt ablehnt, sollte dies auch in der Frage der Todesstrafe tun. Mit desto größerem Nachdruck, je mächtiger der Adressat ist. 4.) Soll die Caritas womöglich aufhören zu helfen, "wenn irgendwo auf der Welt . . ." Und so weiter.

But Josh Marshall wonders how real the outrage is in Europe, since poll after poll shows that there is widespread public support for the death penalty, despite the EU ban on the practice. And interesting discussion on this topic can be found here. I haven’t seen any recent polling data from Germany, but I would find it hard to believe that the majority of Germans would be in favor of reintroducing the death penalty: the lessons of history are simply too painful. I agree with Josh that opposition to the US practice is useful to Europeans as they develop an identity that is increasingly separate from America. But I also believe that the European mentality embraces the prinicple of "rehabilitation" with respect to the penal code; America adheres to "revenge" – redemption is besides the point, whether in the case of Tookie – who never confessed to the murders – or Karla Faye Tucker – who did confess to her crimes.