The recent decision by the Bedfordshire hate crimes unit to arrest a British blogger ... the email apparently reads, ".... the offence that I need to arrest you for is "Stir up Racial Hatred by displaying written material" contrary to sections 18(1) and 27(3) of the Public Order Act 1986. You will be arrested on SUSPICION of the offence." .... highlights the real need for a UK constitution that guarantees real freedom of speech, before what little we have left is eroded under a stream of PC motivated legislation that makes some religions areas, subjects that can't be discussed.
Now I don't know what particular comments from the blogger, known as "Lionheart", caused this apparent promise of arrest, apart from the fact that he apparently takes a hard line against Islam and Muslim immigrants in Britain, and it may well be, that he has in fact transgressed the vague UK laws on inciting 'racial hatred', but, if his 'offence' was merely to state a 'fact', or what he genuinely believed to be fact, then it's a sad comment on the state that the UK is falling into.
I suspect that there are many web sites and blogs, that now tread a thin line when discussing Islam in the UK, but I take the view that expressing an honest opinion is still protected by juries, if not by the police, or PC orientated bodies such as the Bedfordshire hate crimes unit.
The fact that the vast majority of the population probably want to be protected from having our freedoms eroded in this manner, means that as usual, our do nothing politicians are failing us once again.
It is also very telling that this story was not reported on the BBC, or other UK News media, but was reported in the US news, and on blogsites, in much the same manner as the arrest of bloggers in Muslim countries are ignored on the local state media, and passed on to the "free" press via local bloggers ..... coincidence?
Now I don't know what particular comments from the blogger, known as "Lionheart", caused this apparent promise of arrest, apart from the fact that he apparently takes a hard line against Islam and Muslim immigrants in Britain, and it may well be, that he has in fact transgressed the vague UK laws on inciting 'racial hatred', but, if his 'offence' was merely to state a 'fact', or what he genuinely believed to be fact, then it's a sad comment on the state that the UK is falling into.
I suspect that there are many web sites and blogs, that now tread a thin line when discussing Islam in the UK, but I take the view that expressing an honest opinion is still protected by juries, if not by the police, or PC orientated bodies such as the Bedfordshire hate crimes unit.
The fact that the vast majority of the population probably want to be protected from having our freedoms eroded in this manner, means that as usual, our do nothing politicians are failing us once again.
It is also very telling that this story was not reported on the BBC, or other UK News media, but was reported in the US news, and on blogsites, in much the same manner as the arrest of bloggers in Muslim countries are ignored on the local state media, and passed on to the "free" press via local bloggers ..... coincidence?
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Apparently after 18 months on Police bail all the charges were dropped in 2009.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.internationalfreepresssociety.org/2009/07/all-charges-against-uk-blogger-lionheart-dropped/
Not one word in the UK media but websites around the world reported it.