I missed the "should hang" bit first time round. That's incitement to violence and goes beyond free speech and into illegal activity.
"I sometimes wonder how we will ever prevent the youth, in our schools and colleges, parks and playgrounds, from verbally abusing gay, lesbian, black, brown, disabled and any other minority, when the adults tell them we have a right to free speech" http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/18/1231708/--Hate-Speech-is-Not-the-Same-as-Free-Speech#
This is the important part I feel, people are simply confused by the words "Free Speech", they assume it gives them the right to say Anything, It doesn't.
Not really, just because I may find something unacceptable doesn't mean I should get to write a law to prohibit it
Common sense should dictate what's acceptable, laws in Scotland are generally "Common Law", in other words they are accepted as being Common Practice, we should not need laws to tell people that they cannot shout "Fire" in a cinema, but we do. Because some people don't understand what Free Speech actually means.
Although I agree I think Mindy is arguing that you should be allowed to say what you like whilst accepting that it isn't currently legal to do so. He'll correct me if I have that wrong I'm sure!
Free speech isn't free. It comes at a cost. The cost is that it offends, it can be abused to incite violence and such like. The gain is that it allows expression and prevents ideas from being suppressed. Limiting free speech is a downward slope.
I agree, what I'm arguing is that what some people consider free speech (the examples I've already given) is not actually free speech at all, and is therefore illegal.
Yes, when free speech is abused to incite criminal activity. That's an abuse of free speech and should be punished. Free speech should not be limited because of it.
It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it. It's one thing to articulate negative opinions of other people's race or religion, even when this is likely to cause offence. It's quite another to publicly threaten violence. Incidentally, I've been to several Saints vs Pompey derbies, one Spurs vs Arsenal, and was once in Cardiff when the Bluebirds played the Swans. All spicy affairs, but even I was shocked the first time I heard (in a pub in London) that "up to our knees in Fenian blood" line. At the time I thought "blimey, that's a bit ****ing strong", and on balance I don't think anyone should be singing that on the terraces. On the other hand, every home game at St Mary's you'll here the odd neanderthal singing about "go get your father's gun, and shoot all the pompey scum", and I still find that quite funny. So I'm a hypocrite.
Imbeciles such as the judge in the OP who wants to send a message that singing that song will not be tolerated, yes.
