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

[VictorCharlie]

I am generally ok with limiting time and place of hate speech but I am strongly in support of of a broad protection of speech of any kind. If a city ordnance requires an application for rallies and prescribes the time and locations of such rallies then I think that is reasonable but I can't support incarcerating someone b/c their speech is abhorrent.

I agree.
But on the other side if you turn up to a funeral in a clown suit telling jokes I think you need to be dealt with somehow, maybe sanctioned.

See to me this more than a freedom of speech scenario. Sure most cemetaries are public areas but like many public spots they are reserved for specific events. While you have the right to dress like a clown and tell offensive jokes you don't have the right to intrude in a private ceremony all though the scum of Westboro Baptist seem to disagree.

[AdamGB]

Fuck him Miles, lock him up.

Less than three-and-a-half hours earlier, Pc Nicola Hughes, 23, and Fiona Bone, 32, were shot dead in a gun and grenade attack as they responded to a reported burglary on the Hattersley estate in Mottram, Greater Manchester.


How can you allow your civil activism to out weigh his inhumanity in this act?

That can't be, guns are ILLEGAL in England!

UK firearm death rate - 0.4
US firearm death rate - 10.5


Yeah...

Yes, but guns are ILLEGAL in the UK so you shouldn't have ANY deaths from guns......yeah

Shit... I better go and tell that to my uncle, I wouldn't want him being unable to use his shotgun on his farm!

They're not illegal in the UK, just highly controlled and therfore not easily available to criminals and psychopaths.

(That's why your firearm homicides are TEN times higher than ours)

[Andre]

I am generally ok with limiting time and place of hate speech but I am strongly in support of of a broad protection of speech of any kind. If a city ordnance requires an application for rallies and prescribes the time and locations of such rallies then I think that is reasonable but I can't support incarcerating someone b/c their speech is abhorrent.

I agree.
But on the other side if you turn up to a funeral in a clown suit telling jokes I think you need to be dealt with somehow, maybe sanctioned.

See to me this more than a freedom of speech scenario. Sure most cemetaries are public areas but like many public spots they are reserved for specific events. While you have the right to dress like a clown and tell offensive jokes you don't have the right to intrude in a private ceremony all though the scum of Westboro Baptist seem to disagree.

Same, I recon the dude in the T shirt was more than a freedom of speech scenario too, more offensive slogan or offensive advertizing maybe. Dont know the whole story, but we may well feel the same if a cop shot one of our kids dead instead of through both knees.Happened out here,a kid with knife for fucks sake in an open park against two cops with guns, so they shot for the chest and killed him.

What have those baptists got up to now? Who're they hassling this time?
They should be sanctioned too. Rubber suits all round .

[Gandalf]

I was watching LA Confidential today and it reminded me why people hate the police. They are vindictive, manipulative and corrupt. You hurt one of them or insult one of them and they want to get you and the laws are on their side. Look at Hillborough, look at this story. Does anybody really trust the police? They are not on your side. They will beat if you protest. They will arrest you if you say a naughty word (heaven forbid). They are part of that gang. They look out for one another. They enforce the laws of those who want to oppress.

Why would you become a police officer? That statement can stand alone.

Of course you should be able to wear a shirt saying 'Fuck the police'. Of course you should be able to sing or rap about 'Fucking the police'. It is a noble gesture to say fuck the police.

[El Kabong]

Why would you become a police officer? That statement can stand alone.

Because you are addicted to power and maybe have been humiliated in the past or treated poorly and now you want revenge.

This is why people should own guns, the police have them, the Armed Forces have them, we should be able to protect ourselves against them overstepping their bounds.

[Gandalf]

Why would you become a police officer? That statement can stand alone.

Because you are addicted to power and maybe have been humiliated in the past or treated poorly and now you want revenge.

This is why people should own guns, the police have them, the Armed Forces have them, we should be able to protect ourselves against them overstepping their bounds.

How many people shoot an officer and get away with it?

[El Kabong]

How many people shoot an officer and get away with it?

What do you mean "get away with it"? I'm sure a significant amount of people kill officers and don't got directly to jail or get shot in return.

My point is if we're all equal under the law then we should all be EQUAL under the law when it comes to gun ownership and right to protect yourself

[Gandalf]

How many people shoot an officer and get away with it?

What do you mean "get away with it"? I'm sure a significant amount of people kill officers and don't got directly to jail or get shot in return.

My point is if we're all equal under the law then we should all be EQUAL under the law when it comes to gun ownership and right to protect yourself

If there are no guns then nobody is being shot, so I cannot agree. Any police officer beating up a person should be sacked and put in prison. Strong laws for all.

[El Kabong]

If there are no guns then nobody is being shot, so I cannot agree. Any police officer beating up a person should be sacked and put in prison. Strong laws for all.

And then what? Knives are then the worst thing or bow & arrows and then how long before you ban ALL weapons? miles listen guns have been invented, you can't UNinvent them. If you scrounged up every last firearm ever made and destroyed them all then the very next day people would build more guns. Your idea that "if there are no guns" is just naive there will ALWAYS be guns until something else comes along like lazers or whatever, but there will ALWAYS be guns and that's why gun violence isn't 0% in England where guns are banned. Now is it worse in the US statistically, well gun for gun I would bet not but then again we've got a shit ton more guns than you

[Ghost]

How many people shoot an officer and get away with it?

What do you mean "get away with it"? I'm sure a significant amount of people kill officers and don't got directly to jail or get shot in return.

My point is if we're all equal under the law then we should all be EQUAL under the law when it comes to gun ownership and right to protect yourself

If there are no guns then nobody is being shot, so I cannot agree. Any police officer beating up a person should be sacked and put in prison. Strong laws for all.

Can see it now: police officer gets punched in the face and instead of hitting back, smiles and says, do it again, do it again, that felt so good, do it again.

[0james0]

I don't think everyone is going to give up their guns just because you asked nicely. I think there is more chance they will simply ask people to stop shooting each other.

I wonder if in our lifetimes there will be laser weapons on the streets? Interesting thought.

There do seem to be a lot more random mass killings recently though. Last week in Wales some guy started running people over, in seperate attacks, reversed over a few people to get them a second time and hit other people with a wrench.

I can't imagine what makes someone think that is a good idea.