4 months in prison for wearing a hateful t-shirt....yay for free speech Britain!

[Andre]

Seems there is a trend

Britain’s High-Tech Thought Police - Reason.com

Very interesting. Wonder what the answer will be between harassment cyber stalking and free speech?

Hey we got a mention!!

page two: Just drop a comma in after the word Facebook, and we are alive and kicking baby .

Speech is either free or it isn’t. And if it is, then that means everyone must have it—not just nice people, but also nasty people; not just the right-on, but also the racist; not just well-educated judges who use their free speech to spout BS about how abhorrent certain jokes are, but also immature tweeters, Facebook saddos, and unpopular bloggers who use their free speech to insult minorities or make bad gags about missing girls.

[TitoFan]

Seems there is a trend

Britain’s High-Tech Thought Police - Reason.com

Very interesting. Wonder what the answer will be between harassment cyber stalking and free speech?

Hey we got a mention!!

page two: Just drop a comma in after the word Facebook, and we are alive and kicking baby .

Speech is either free or it isn’t. And if it is, then that means everyone must have it—not just nice people, but also nasty people; not just the right-on, but also the racist; not just well-educated judges who use their free speech to spout BS about how abhorrent certain jokes are, but also immature tweeters, Facebook saddos, and unpopular bloggers who use their free speech to insult minorities or make bad gags about missing girls.

You're absolutely right, Andre. Speech is either free or it isn't. So this guy could've paid for a billboard saying the same thing, and he's totally within his rights of free speech. He could put a sign in front of his house with the same message he had on his T-shirt.

Unfortunately, if a relative of one of those policewomen killed in the attack went over and kicked the living shit out of this guy, he be charged with assault and probably imprisoned. Such are the inequities of justice and laws in society.

Personally, I think 4 months in jail is a bit harsh for wearing a tasteless T-shirt. But none of us would probably be too upset if a meteorite just happened to obliterate the guy as he was headed to the local tavern while wearing his T-shirt. It must be mentioned, however, that the article says the guy had had a previous jail term suspended. So the model citizen he ain't.

People are adept at knowing the law and toeing that line.... sometimes even mockingly. The guy knows he's protected by freedom of speech laws, so he crosses that line between tasteless and completely crass and inhumane.

IMO, a person like that needs to understand that there are consequences to be faced when you behave in such an abhorrent fashion.

[El Kabong]

You're absolutely right, Andre. Speech is either free or it isn't. So this guy could've paid for a billboard saying the same thing, and he's totally within his rights of free speech. He could put a sign in front of his house with the same message he had on his T-shirt.

Unfortunately, if a relative of one of those policewomen killed in the attack went over and kicked the living shit out of this guy, he be charged with assault and probably imprisoned. Such are the inequities of justice and laws in society.

Personally, I think 4 months in jail is a bit harsh for wearing a tasteless T-shirt. But none of us would probably be too upset if a meteorite just happened to obliterate the guy as he was headed to the local tavern while wearing his T-shirt. It must be mentioned, however, that the article says the guy had had a previous jail term suspended. So the model citizen he ain't.

People are adept at knowing the law and toeing that line.... sometimes even mockingly. The guy knows he's protected by freedom of speech laws, so he crosses that line between tasteless and completely crass and inhumane.

IMO, a person like that needs to understand that there are consequences to be faced when you behave in such an abhorrent fashion.

Perhaps you don't fully grasp the idea of free speech. The deal is you can say what you want so long as it's not like yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre. Being able to hit/punch/kick/strike a person is not "free speech". People are entitled to their rights until they violate someone else's and striking someone no matter how much of a dirtbag they are when it comes to free speech is against the law and rightfully so as people can get offended at the slightest of things. You've got to look big picture when talking about rights...if we allow someone to harm the person wearing the shirt in question we start down a slippery slope and where does it end? How can you validate who's properly offended enough to be allowed to react violently?