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Pair jailed for web race crimes

M

mikhail

blond bombshell
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"Two men have been jailed after becoming the first in the UK to be convicted of inciting racial hatred online.

Simon Sheppard, 51, of Selby in North Yorkshire, received four years and 10 months, and Stephen Whittle, 42, of Preston, two years and four months.

The men printed leaflets and controlled websites featuring racist material."


BBC NEWS | UK | England | North Yorkshire | Pair jailed for web race crimes

seems abit extreme to me 4 years must be more too this than whats written here.
 
God bless the USA.
 
new coup for you said:
seriously. that's some ****ed up ****.
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How so? Everytime I hear of some crazy ass law, or conviction in another country, it makes me love America even more. Did you know that there was an effort in the UK a few years ago to outlaw butcher knives? And, now, free speech is going right on out the window, too.
 
apdst said:
How so? Everytime I hear of some crazy ass law, or conviction in another country, it makes me love America even more. Did you know that there was an effort in the UK a few years ago to outlaw butcher knives? And, now, free speech is going right on out the window, too.
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the concept of jailing people for a website is way more offensive then the actual content of their site.
 
If British prisons are anything like American prisons, all this is going to accomplish is radicalizing them further-- and giving them more contacts in the White Supremacist movement.

Brilliant play. Really.
 
Korimyr the Rat said:
If British prisons are anything like American prisons, all this is going to accomplish is radicalizing them further-- and giving them more contacts in the White Supremacist movement.

Brilliant play. Really.
Click to expand...

They'll become members of the Aryan Brotherhood in no time.
 
The content of the site and their overall message is repugnant, but I take serious issue with the governments act to silence them.

Echoing the sentiments of others here...I'm grateful to be living in the U.S. where this has not yet become our nightmare.
 
Wow...so they basically made being an asshole illegal in Britain. I really don't understand that country, they really have no respect for the rights of the individual, such as freedom of speech and press. Wow.
 
ou think it's outrageous that anyone can be jailed in England for what in this country would be ignored
as more extremists running their mouths and spewing hate.
They obviously fled here because they thought freedom of speech was a good reason for asylum.
I don't agree with what they did at all. But neither do I agree with the trend toward the restriction of free
speech in this country in recent years. Things like a couple thrown out of a town hall meeting a few years
back for wearing anti Bush t-shirts. Or during elections and they force protesters to so-called free
speech zones. These locations were in fact limited speech zones located some times blocks from the
event being protested. All with little media coverage and no outrage.
Upset yet?
Well what would you say if I told you that in this country only white people can commit so-called hate
crimes? It's true. Just read the following story and explain how this is possible, and ask.
Do we not have a little thing called equal justice under the law? Truth is we do but it's only words and not
something that is practiced in the courts.
In this country hate crimes are stupid, there are laws on the books covering all crimes and because the victim is of some minority whether, in race or religion should make no difference what ever. But it does jurt please read this.

Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family
Ohio.com - Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family

Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.

But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.
 
Don't even get me started on hate crimes legislation, a freaking stupid concept if ever there was one. ANY hate crime is already a chargeable offense, i.e., threats, vandalism, or whatever the specific act was. We should take ALL crimes seriously, especially serious violent crimes.
 
I thought at one point that jailing people for racism was acceptable. But when you sit back and think about it, it is unacceptable, but we also do have the right to say it nonetheless. I think being imprisoned for insulting a religion or a race is just as unacceptable as committing it in the first place. The UK isnt radicalizing and turning into a dictatorship; oh no, the total opposite is happening. The UK is politically "correctisizing" to the POINT where we have been blinded from our own freedom of speech, and then before we know it the only thing that will define democracy in our economy is our capitalist market.
 
mikhail said:
"Two men have been jailed after becoming the first in the UK to be convicted of inciting racial hatred online.

Simon Sheppard, 51, of Selby in North Yorkshire, received four years and 10 months, and Stephen Whittle, 42, of Preston, two years and four months.

The men printed leaflets and controlled websites featuring racist material."


BBC NEWS | UK | England | North Yorkshire | Pair jailed for web race crimes

seems abit extreme to me 4 years must be more too this than whats written here.
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I wonder if the Brits will make speaking out against the government,police,military and other agencies a a crime under the guise of preventing the inciting of hatred of those groups?
 
kaya'08 said:
I thought at one point that jailing people for racism was acceptable. But when you sit back and think about it, it is unacceptable, but we also do have the right to say it nonetheless. I think being imprisoned for insulting a religion or a race is just as unacceptable as committing it in the first place. The UK isnt radicalizing and turning into a dictatorship; oh no, the total opposite is happening. The UK is politically "correctisizing" to the POINT where we have been blinded from our own freedom of speech, and then before we know it the only thing that will define democracy in our economy is our capitalist market.
Click to expand...

I think this is an evolution of your position. It seems easier, in a nanny state, to be protected from being offended, but in the long run, it compromises your civil liberties in a frightening way.

I've always liked this quote from American President:

For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution?

If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago.

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight.

It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.

You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free".
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Very deftly stated, in the movie. And, very true.

You can't be protected from being offended and still have free speech. It's impossible.
 
jamesrage said:
I wonder if the Brits will make speaking out against the government,police,military and other agencies a a crime under the guise of preventing the inciting of hatred of those groups?
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Yeah, discrimination against the police institution. I can see it happening.

Very deftly stated, in the movie. And, very true.

You can't be protected from being offended and still have free speech. It's impossible
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Its human nature to disagree and insult. The law cannot protect us from free speech in the name of free speech. Its just stupid. Why should we pay with our civil liberties because a bunch of idiot politicians cannot take being offended like a man and live with it. Its as you said, a mummy state, or rather a nanny state.

The creators and true inventors of democracy and freedom of speech that lived so long ago would be truly dissapointed to see the direction we have taken since then.
 
kaya'08 said:
Yeah, discrimination against the police institution. I can see it happening.
Click to expand...

The door has been opened and taken off it's hinges. So it is most likely the next step for the British government and any other government that has hate speech laws to ban "hate speech" against the government and government organizations.
Its human nature to disagree and insult. The law cannot protect us from free speech in the name of free speech.
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I agree.
 
"That, said Adil Khan, head of diversity and community cohesion at Humberside Police, makes their conviction a first"

That is even IS such a post if f*cking scary...

I think we can all agree that though these guys are douchebags, this conviction means should the political tides turn, anyone on this site or publishing anything on the internet could one day be criminalized....
 
good to see Americans still care about freedom of speech i get the impression people on TV are not going to have anyone against these laws people as people wont seperate the idea someone is argue for a principle not racism etc.
 
I thought this was going to be about some new form of racing on the Web. :confused: :doh
 
Councilman said:
ou think it's outrageous that anyone can be jailed in England for what in this country would be ignored
as more extremists running their mouths and spewing hate.
They obviously fled here because they thought freedom of speech was a good reason for asylum.
I don't agree with what they did at all. But neither do I agree with the trend toward the restriction of free
speech in this country in recent years. Things like a couple thrown out of a town hall meeting a few years
back for wearing anti Bush t-shirts. Or during elections and they force protesters to so-called free
speech zones. These locations were in fact limited speech zones located some times blocks from the
event being protested. All with little media coverage and no outrage.
Upset yet?
Well what would you say if I told you that in this country only white people can commit so-called hate
crimes? It's true. Just read the following story and explain how this is possible, and ask.
Do we not have a little thing called equal justice under the law? Truth is we do but it's only words and not
something that is practiced in the courts.
In this country hate crimes are stupid, there are laws on the books covering all crimes and because the victim is of some minority whether, in race or religion should make no difference what ever. But it does jurt please read this.

Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family
Ohio.com - Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family

Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.

But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.
Click to expand...

People are going to have to take a stand against things like this in this country. Racism is racism, and officials fear labelling blacks attacking whites a hate crimes. If they won't then we need leaders who aren't scared to.
 
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