Off Topic Politics Thread

Someone has just been sentenced to prison for retweeting memes.

Even if you disagree with them politically this is an absurd assault on free speech

 

How do you define “hate speech”?


You are falling for the classic authoritarian playbook. Once they start to curtail your rights they can change the definition of “hate speech” to suit their agenda

 

So if I wrote a meme which said ‘go kill a foreigner they rape babies’ and you posted it on your Facebook, you think that is ok?

It is what you say and not the format which counts.

 

Actually, I want to see this for myself. Can you link the evidence?

 

Human Rights Act 1998, Article 10:

Freedom of expression
1Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.

2The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.

*
That part 2 is what people need to read. There are some pretty heavy caveats in there. But that said there are caveats in the US as well that 1A people wilfully ignore or try to interpret differently. Mainly with relations to the part that you are protected from government consequences - but not consequences in general

 

Yes, come on Os, for once give the full story not a shrill hysterical inflammatory one liner.

 

It’s probably this :

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/jord...-for-riot-related-social-media-posts-13193894

Which means Os is almost certainly lying as always. Because in all of these cases from what I can tell it wasn’t simply “retweeting memes”. And the third on that list was one I found first in a separate story - and the guy admitted it.

And this Sky article handily points you to the sorts of avenues Os likely picked up his version of the story - it references Rogan calling this “Soviet Russia” and Musk criticising it. I bet you can imagine how absolutely flabbergasted I am to see those two names there

 

Knock me down with a feather.

 

I know. And to think “Keir Stalin” was apparently an original.

 

That's putting the porky in pies, I've seen the twaXter it and other leaden attempts at humour came from.

 

Trump is as crooked as they get.

 

I thought the tories were corrupt but Donnie's got them trumped.

 

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/...rker-jailed-sharing-offensive-facebook-posts/

Here you go. Posting some memes that said coming to a town near you.

It’s absurd.

Where was the jail time for anti Israel memes?
Where was the jail time for every other offensice meme about every other incident?

They can essentially decide to throw anyone in jail for any reason now

 

Mate, he called Asian people ‘it’ and posted memes of Asian men with knives going after a crying white kid in a Union Jack.

Tell me you didn’t read the whole thing or are you just a racist? Honestly, please tell me you only read the first FB post!

 

Im not denying that he’s racist or that they’re horrendous memes. What I’m saying is that jailing people for sharing offensive memes is absolutely outrageous.

I can understand jailing those that specifically threaten or target people with violence. But sharing offensive memes has never been a crime.

I can go on the internet now and find countless offensive memes about almost any subject. The internet is an absolute hell hole

 

You can. You really can. But if you can’t see the difference between posting racist **** on a normal day and posting vile images in chats relating to riots, dehumanising asians and portraying them as a threat, I think you need to step out of the room, take a breath, and step back in.

Edit to say: Even the judge says it is the context here that is key to this getting him 8 weeks in jail.

 

I guess we will have to agree to disagree as usual.

For me jailing someone for memes is a horrendous precedent to set. He wasn’t directly threatening anyone, he wasn’t directly violent.

If they are really consistent about this then there will be a LOT of people in prison. Next time there is a pro-Palestine rally or even just stop oil post something offensive, I wonder will they stick to the same rules

 

But don’t you understand - right wing racist grifters on the internet have a better understanding of the law than a judge. And people who repost what those people say also know more than experienced judges. I thought everyone understood this? /s

 

Isn’t that what you want? For extremists to be locked up? I hope they do kick on from here and punish people who use hate speech on the internet.

 

It's rightly called called context, not a long word but one that Os should be aware of and understand.