Controversial? Red Issue (Man U Fanzine) in the News Again

daviesee

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17515992

Free speech is all very well and good but do you think this guy was fully aware of the potential implications?

Yes, he was jailed for the racist content but I dare say he thought he was just being funny.

notsoblue

daviesee wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17515992

Free speech is all very well and good but do you think this guy was fully aware of the potential implications?

Yes, he was jailed for the racist content but I dare say he thought he was just being funny.

Wow. Its strange seeing someone prosecuted for saying the type of stuff you're likely to see on XBoxLive and online gaming on a fairly regular basis.

spen666

Rick Chasey wrote:

spen666 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

...
Having said all that, there is technically a rule brought in by labour that makes 'offending' people an offence.

Something I believe the coalition are trying to get rid of!

What rule is this?

I presume that by "rule" you are meaning legislation ie law.

I cannot immediately think of an offence of "offending" alone

Was at a talk from an MEP last month and she was saying that there is now a rule in the UK which criminalises deliberately 'offending' people. She quoted the actual rule but I've since forgotten.

i'm curious about this.

i'm in an office of very experienced criminal lawyers and no one is sure what offence is being referred to here. Even allowing for it being used in lay mans terms, no one is sure of the offence she/ he is referring to.

i'd be interested if you can find out any more

Jez mon

notsoblue wrote:

Jez mon wrote:

No one is saying Muamba himself is fair game, he's not the one being mocked here.

I don't find the joke especially funny, not because I find it offensive, although, I do find it in slightly poor taste.

Well put it this way, I'd be surprised if it would have been published if Muamba had died.

Personally I don't really care that much, or even really know much about the situation. But where there is a chance that you will genuinely hurt or offend people, it doesn't take much to choose not to make the joke at someone's expense just to sell papers. Ultimately though, people can print what they want as far as I'm concerned, but they shouldn't hide behind free speech and make accusations of hypocrisy when people call them out on bad taste.

Possibly, but if the worst had happened, then the weird mass mourning reaction would not have been quite so weird.

For sure people shouldn't hide behind freedom of speech. But I think sending people to prison for being racist on twitter is a waste of prison space.