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Racist Twitter user jailed for 56 days

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DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
The thing a lot of people seem think everything is ok, unless punishable by law. It sends out a clear message "this is wrong".

What's the worst that can happen? People say less racist things. At the best the youth will get brought up with a better sense of right and wrong.

Amplified resentment towards the targets of these racist remarks and the police
Law enforcement jumping the gun in ridiculous ways
A massive mismanagement of time and money

just to start.

If you want people to say less racist things, then try and make sure they're raised accordingly.
 
Meh, should of banged him up for a year...

Hopefully they'll send him to a prison in Bolton.

Also...

"If you see anyone tweeting racist tweets today, or any day, please report them to your local police. They will listen and act. Thank you."


Sweet...
 
He decided to be a racist cunt towards Muamba at the worst time possible. Guy had an heart attack on the field, was fighting for his life and all this dumbass does is post racist shit on twitter attacking the guy. Fuck it, let him sleep it off in jail.

So we just jail anyone who is an asshole?
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
I don't agree with DY_nasty's attempt to save Superhead from her life, and if I asked I will say he is stupid for attempting. I hope that doesn't get me in trouble

The most suspicious avatar on GAF...
 

2San

Member
Amplified resentment towards the targets of these racist remarks and the police
Law enforcement jumping the gun in ridiculous ways
A massive mismanagement of time and money

just to start.

If you want people to say less racist things, then try and make sure they're raised accordingly.

You end up living in a society where saying offensive things gets you thrown in prison.
Ah the slippery slope fallacy.

I've been living in a country which had anti-discrimination laws for years. Our courts rule in favor of free speech most of the time, especially if it's said by a politician. The line is simply drawn at discrimination.
 

lexi

Banned
Ah the slippery slope fallacy.

I've been living in a country which had anti-discrimination laws for years. Our courts rule in favor of free speech most of the time, especially if it's said by a politician. The line is simply drawn at discrimination.

What slippery slope? The slope is plenty slippery already. A guy is in jail for the next 2 months for saying words on the internet. It actually doesn't get much slipperier.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Ah the slippery slope fallacy.

I've been living in a country which had anti-discrimination laws for years. Our courts rule in favor of free speech most of the time, especially if it's said by a politician. The line is simply drawn at discrimination.

Its not a slippery slope.

Its already happened.
 

Barrett2

Member
Going to jail for saying racist stuff on Twitter?
KuGsj.gif


You've got to be kidding me.


Ah the slippery slope fallacy.

I've been living in a country which had anti-discrimination laws for years. Our courts rule in favor of free speech most of the time, especially if it's said by a politician. The line is simply drawn at discrimination.

Your politicians have more free speech rights than regular citizens? What?
 
Waste of a jail resource, but I have no sympathy for him. He'll probably serve less than a month. He was aggressively inciting people after the incident in a way that would have endangered himself before long. He needs teaching a lesson about what we will and won't accept as a society.

Americans, quit the judgemental crap. You tolerating obnoxious inciteful racists doesn't mean we have to. We have specific laws against airing this kind of venomous hatred, purely because its corrosive to society and doesn't serve a purpose. We have free speech, we're just more pragmatic about what we consider constructive free speech. He wasn't trying to make a political point, or stating anything even possible to be an objective viewpoint, he was just spewing hatred, ratcheting up tension on the Internet and calling all sorts of people racial epithets and cunts. He can say whatever he wants privately, but when enough people are upset and angered, complaining to police - we reserve the right to punish horrible gobshites.... again, its not a jail issue, and this is a waste of a resource, but he deserves something. He deserves his head kicking in, quite frankly. I'd have preferred that.
 

2San

Member
Are we not discussing this in a thread about someone thrown in jail for saying something offensive? The slope done slipped.

What slippery slope? The slope is plenty slippery already. A guy is in jail for the next 2 months for saying words on the internet. It actually doesn't get much slipperier.
That's because UK doesn't seem to have a maximum punishment for these things. It'll get there. If you are afraid of regulating stuff simply, because you are scared of abuse. You can pretty much remove any law by that logic.
 

SmokyDave

Member
What slippery slope? The slope is plenty slippery already. A guy is in jail for the next 2 months for saying words on the internet. It actually doesn't get much slipperier.

I think the reason you don't see more people speaking out against this sort of thing is because it's difficult to quantify why 'inciting racial hatred' should be OK, in any form. When it comes down to it, why do we need the freedom to vilify groups of people on the internet?

I don't feel 'less free' because of this, just like I don't feel 'less free' because I can't sling slurs around in the streets or walk around butt-naked.

I'll be interested to see how the justice system treats tweets of an islamic extremist nature. I wouldn't be too confident posting 'the kuffar must die' right about now.
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
I think the reason you don't see more people speaking out against this sort of thing is because it's difficult to quantify why 'inciting racial hatred' should be OK, in any form. When it comes down to it, why do we need the freedom to vilify groups of people on the internet?

I don't feel 'less free' because of this, just like I don't feel 'less free' because I can't sling slurs around in the streets or walk around butt-naked.

This is one time that I'm actually on the side of the slippery slopers because what constitutes offensive speech feels so incredibly ill-defined culturally. The usual problem I have with a slippery slope argument is that it presents a possible future course of action that seems culturally and socially unacceptable that might now occur because the sinister powers that be are trying to oppress us. But in this case I can see situations like this turning ugly because I'm not sure how well the discretionary line is defined.
 

Barrett2

Member
Reading through his Tweets on that Youtube clip, that is nowhere near the definition of "incitement" under US law. In the US you have to directly encourage one or more people to perform immediate violence against a specific target.
 

SmokyDave

Member
This is one time that I'm actually on the side of the slippery slopers because what constitutes offensive speech feels so incredibly ill-defined culturally.

It certainly is. I have a feeling we'll need to codify what constitutes 'offensive' if this is going to become a 'thing'.

One worry is that the law will be totally unfair in its application. Our justice system seems to have a hard time recognizing racism if the perpetrators aren't white.
 

Meier

Member
Stacey apparently does not want to kick racism out of football. I say good for the Welsh. A message needs to be sent to people.
 

lexi

Banned

Depends what you mean by changed man. If you meant now permanently a member of an underclass incapable of obtaining reasonable employment and education, then yeah, he'll be changed.

It should not be a crime to be offensive. I've gone through a personal hell in my own life being abused, taunted, slurs leveled at me... I can defend myself against that, thanks. I don't need or WANT the courts to act on my behalf like some omnipresent nanny.
 

smr00

Banned
Good to see their justice system is hard at work catching these criminals on twitter.

Free Speech must not exist there.
 

dc89

Member
Depends what you mean by changed man.

If you meant now permanently a member of an underclass incapable of obtaining reasonable employment and education, then yeah, he'll be changed.

In that case he will regret it for the rest of his life.
 

Hazanko

Banned
I'm fine with this because it's obviously racist. Just because it's the internet doesn't mean you should escape the consequences of what you say.
 
Ugh, it's just not practical to jail all the twitter/youtube/facebook users who say stupid racist shit. So they are really only putting this dude in jail to make an example out of him - which is something I don't really agree with, especially when he hasn't harmed anyone.
 

billsmugs

Member
I don't understand the American views on this. Do I take it you don't like racism but think people shouldn't be punished for it? That seems a bit contradictory, surely?

How far does the US take the defence of free speech, if someone was just shouting racist abuse in the street, can anything be done about it for instance? What about calling for violence against specific groups of people (or even individuals)? (This is an honest question, I don't know much about American laws)
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
I don't understand the American views on this. Do I take it you don't like racism but think people shouldn't be punished for it? That seems a bit contradictory, surely?

How far does the US take the defence of free speech, if someone was just shouting racist abuse in the street, can anything be done about it for instance?
I don't believe anything can be done
What about calling for violence against specific groups of people (or even individuals)?

Now something can be done. That's basically what the argument about incitement has been about in this thread.
 

Meier

Member
How far does the US take the defence of free speech, if someone was just shouting racist abuse in the street, can anything be done about it for instance?

You can't do anything to them other than report them to the authorities who might remove them for their safety (and maybe rough them up a bit when out of site) but wouldn't jail them.

Edit: Modified my quote.
 
These guys need to learn their lesson. I hope the jail time does some good.

I'm not sure what lesson he could learn from this jail time other then to feel even more hate.
A fine, some working hours, counseling etc. would do a much better job at readjusting his social skills.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
I don't understand the American views on this. Do I take it you don't like racism but think people shouldn't be punished for it? That seems a bit contradictory, surely?

How far does the US take the defence of free speech, if someone was just shouting racist abuse in the street, can anything be done about it for instance? What about calling for violence against specific groups of people (or even individuals)? (This is an honest question, I don't know much about American laws)

Calling for violence is illegal. Just shouting racist shit isn't going to be ok if you're literally shouting it, as thats disturbing the peace, but it is your right to say racist shit if you want.

But seriously, apart from maybe some areas in the south and unless you're in a large group of fellow racists, you'd be lucky to escape intact if you go preaching racism out in the streets. We're definitely not as tolerant of it as some people are making it sound.
 

Three Men Jailed Over Gay Hate Leaflets

These got locked up....


Judges aren't robots, especially district judges who tend to be harsher for some reason.

One has a bad day they'll lock you up.

One man can smash man's head in with a bar stool, and another man can steal some Pork Chops from Asda, and it is the latter who is getting 3 months in prison and the other a fine.
 
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