Warning for British forumers - joking online may cost you cost you 1000 pounds...

[Timbuk2]

He didn't try to throw a pie, he did throw a pie.



He received a six week sentence for that stunt, reduced on appeal to four.

[Loki]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20212989

Apparently racism is a crime in Britain. Can't wait to see what other taboo will become a crime next.

[Loki]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...n-Twitter.html

England, what is wrong with you?

[Veldan Rath]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...n-Twitter.html

England, what is wrong with you?

Okay, what cultural significance am I missing on the burning of a poppy?

[Loki]

People buy/wear poppies during Veteran's Day.

[Veldan Rath]

That's it?

REALLY???

WTF?

[RandBlade]

Okay, what cultural significance am I missing on the burning of a poppy?

Poppy's represent the soldiers who died in wars to protect our freedom, primarily from WWI originally and then WWII but sometimes for future conflicts since. They're bought/worn in the lead up to Remembrance Day. I can't think of an American equivalent. Imagine it as similar but worse than burning the flag on Veterans Day.

But it shouldn't be illegal.

[Loki]

It's not illegal. What is illegal is apparently posting a burning poppy on Twitter. I'm pretty sure your police force are just trolls.

[RandBlade]

Trolling is what's illegal. Putting malicious communications online (hence the name of the Act).

[Loki]

What is malicious about posting a burning poppy? Wouldn't this mean that taking a video of burning a British flag would be equally malicious? It seems like a pretty clear instance of political speech to me.

Of course malicious is being defined as "anything that offends people".

[RandBlade]

I think its being defined as offending people with intent, which is what this was.

It shouldn't be illegal but clearly is.

[Loki]

So if I see someone in a park (with their dog) that I don't like, come up to them, and say "your dog smells", I'm being malicious with intent and should be arrested? Or would that only get me arrested if I posted it on their Facebook account?

No matter which way you spin it, this is a totalitarian-level intrusion into people's personal lives.

[RandBlade]

If you put it on their Facebook then yes its probably illegal.

This law is wrong but to call it totalitarian is utterly absurd.

[Loki]

You mean spying on people's everyday activities that bear no relation on the security of the state or any individual within it is not totalitarian? And neither is arresting people for political speech? Right.

[Veldan Rath]

Isn't part of political speech meant to offend someone???

How is something like this NOT Thug Government?

[Lewkowski]

If you put it on their Facebook then yes its probably illegal.

This law is wrong but to call it totalitarian is utterly absurd.

Its pretty bad.

[Aimless]

You mean spying on people's everyday activities that bear no relation on the security of the state or any individual within it is not totalitarian? And neither is arresting people for political speech? Right.

I thought we'd previously concluded that it's not spying if it involves Twitter

[RandBlade]

You mean spying on people's everyday activities that bear no relation on the security of the state or any individual within it is not totalitarian?

Who said anyone was spying? Somebody probably made a complaint.

And neither is arresting people for political speech? Right.

Trying to offend != political speech. Though I agree that this should be allowed.

Its pretty bad.

Agreed. But there's a world of difference between totalitarian regimes (like Iraq under Saddam) and the UK.

[Loki]

What a ridiculous distinction. Much of political speech offends and intends to offend.

I didn't say this in itself made you totalitarian; my point was that this is a key practice of totalitarian regimes. Also, this post was made on a person's personal Facebook account.

[Timbuk2]

Scholar and gentleman Nick Griffin has posted the following to Twitter in response to a gay couple winning their case against a Christian bed and breakfast owner who refused them a bed on the grounds of despicable made up lies and bullshit her deeply held personal convictions:

"So, Messrs Black and Morgan at [address], A British justice team will come up to Huntington & give you a..."

So, given that we've had arrested and gaol time for posting stupid jokes on Twitter, unpleasant things on Facebook and wearing an offensive t-shirt, how will the police react to a thinly veiled threat by a MEP? But on Twitter.

It was her deeply held religious convictions, but that may just be splitting hairs. She would also disallow unmarried heterosexual couples from sharing a bedroom in her B&B ...

The police, as I understand it, will pursue this as incitement to violence. And I have no issue with that, a law has ( or seems, on the face of it, to have ) been contravened, a law which is separate to the silly Malicious Communications Act.

I'm not putting this in the same pot as the jokes and unpleasant comments or T-shirt, which fall foul of the silly Act and nothing else.

The lovely Mr Griffin has had his Twitter account suspended pending further stuff.

Actually he never threatened violence there was a second tweet apparently that finished the message along the lines of "... protest". Would possibly be classed as harassment though?

If free speech means anything then people like that scumbag need to have it.

~

UPDATE

Police have now dropped the case against Mr Griffin.

Nick Griffin: No action over B&B gay couple tweet

BNP leader Nick Griffin will not face any action after he put the address of a gay couple who won a landmark court ruling on Twitter.

A court ruled Berkshire B&B owner had discriminated against Michael Black and John Morgan when she turned them away.

Mr Griffin had urged his Twitter followers to hold a demonstration following the judgement in October, but police this week dropped the case.

The Christian guest house owner has now lodged an appeal to be heard next year.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: "Following a police investigation and advice from the Crown Prosecution Service no criminal offences were identified."

Mr Black told BBC News the couple, who had a police presence at their home for several days, were not overly concerned about Mr Griffin's tweets.

"In the end we decided not to make a formal complaint," he added.

"No criminal offences were identified ... "