No, you can stop people from saying things in public places particularly if it is likely to cause a breach of the peace, for example. Write something on a message board which breaks the law, and you will get a visit from the police! Oh, and a ban, of course.
Yeah, there were two fellas in about block 35?(ish) having a bit of argy-bargy. Not sure what it was about but it seemed to be pretty heated, so much so an army of stewards had to go and seperate them. Then he started kicking off at the steward. Not on in my book.
It's a form of discrimination and is illegal. It may not be frowned upon as much as racism in an environment such as a Football ground because it's occasionally sung about 'on the terraces' but at the end of the day, the people arrested cannot complain due to the warning before the game. I haven't read the article but I should imagine they'll get off with a caution.
Totally agree. There's no two ways about it. People can squirm and find excuses, but it's wrong. Do it and take the consequences.
Police sometimes arrest people without any evidence at all. My mate got arrested once for nothing, there was no case against him what so ever. Yet he was in a cell for 12 hours until they questioned him, he got cleared 2 months after as the police couldn't be arsed looking at the facts straight away. He then took the police to court, one police got sacked, one left before he could get sacked. Plus two more had to retrain, my mate also sued and won 6k. It proves police arn't always right and do not always have evidence.
OK Adam, you're making a good point, although I'm not sure it's a great one. The fact is, in society, we all live by a set of agreed rules, be they laws or morals. In the 21st century world we accept that everyone has a right to be what they are, provided they don't harm [harm, being an expansive term] anyone else in being that way. Yes, there are grey areas in that thinking, but once the rules or laws have been set by the majority in society, the minority run the risk of contravening those rules, or laws. Society doesn't ask that people agree with those rules, it just ask them to be quiet about it. Making homophobic chants is an example of breaching those agreed rules, at the current time. Here's hoping that people learn to be more tolerant to others.
No one's saying that police are always right. This point has nothing to do with the conversation. The point is that the police don't have the power to make the rules and to arrest whoever they like. If they wrongfully arrest someone, they face the consequences, hence the £6k lawsuit. In this case, people clearly have broken the law and there clearly is evidence, so I'm not sure what the relevance of your comment is supposed to be.
Lots of people were chanting. The fact that these 2 got arrested suggests they went further than the others.
So if Brighton were to start up a chant, "does your girlfriend know you're here?" would they be punished..?
They weren't both Brighton fans that were in block 36 as one of them was back soon after and the other I have seen at Saints games before so something that was said as it would appear they were both Saints fans
did any of the Brighton fans get arrested? After all they sang to the Saints fans: 'You're too ugly to be gay' Those in glass houses and all that
It has when you state police can't just do what they want. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty to many people just assume other people are guilty with no clear evidence. Yes in this case they where right, but the police are not always right. All I was trying to say was police can arrest anyone they want, they can abuse their power whenever. Yes in the end they will get what they deserve for doing this, but the people they arrest still end up arrested dont they?.
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/9377494.Fans_charged_after_homophobic_chanting/ they have now been charged
presumably they could do, as they still have a court date (why is theirs quicker for a minor offence than barnard? the legal system really makes a mockery of things but thats another topic)
I suppose so but its usually mentioned in the report if the police want a banning order enforced. And yes I agree the legal system takes the piss.
