UK Police Now Threatening to Arrest People Who Make Fun of Their Facebook Posts About Drug Busts

Your excuse-making for statism and the suppression of human rights is astounding. So long as you have spliffs you'll be good.

a reply to: bastion

Haha, we share similar worlds in our 'subject of the Crown' experiences, don't US members get all drama queen about some things lol, I give my MP a massive hard time on twitter and he can do nothing about it because I choose my words carefully.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Free speech is decent enough for my purposes in the UK, so I can't say X demographic should all die, or that Y demographic are all in-bred bastards who deserved their genocide for being brown skinned. You know, stuff like that, online.

According to the Westyorkshire Police, you also cannot say anything "grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false".

From the link you provided

'
Credible threats (to a person’s life or safety or property)
Communications targeting specific individuals (including persistent harassment and ongoing abuse)
Breach of court orders (for example identifying people protected by law)
Communications which are grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false
The guidance makes the distinction between the first three categories, which will be robustly prosecuted, and the last category to which a high threshold for prosecution applies.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC explains: “These are cases that can give rise to complex issues, but to avoid the potential chilling effect that might arise from high numbers of prosecutions in cases in which a communication might be considered grossly offensive, we must recognise the fundamental right to freedom of expression and only proceed with prosecution when a communication is more than offensive, shocking or disturbing, even if distasteful or painful to those subjected to it.”

In all cases, prosecutors will consider the full context of the communication and the public interest test.'

a reply to: ScepticScot

Communications which are grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false. That's right.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
Your excuse-making for statism and the suppression of human rights is astounding. So long as you have spliffs you'll be good.

Oh yawn mate, you think I'm oppressed and I don't see it, I ignore many laws, I follow my own moral code and it seems to fit with the hardest gang in town so I don't give a toss.
...but worry for me if you like, I appreciate your love and consideration for fellow man.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Oh yawn mate, you think I'm oppressed and I don't see it, I ignore many laws, I follow my own moral code and it seems to fit with the hardest gang in town so I don't give a toss. ...but worry for me if you like, I appreciate your love and consideration for fellow man.

It's not you I'm worried about—you seem quite content in your complacency—what I'm worried about is the state censorship, and the tyrannical roads it will lead us.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
Your excuse-making for statism and the suppression of human rights is astounding. So long as you have spliffs you'll be good.

Whatever. Keep pretending you know the first thing about it.

It's not statism as unlike other countries the police are there with public consent not state sanctioned like you claim. No ones getting human rights removed except in your imagination where you think you know more than all UK posters about what happens over here.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Oh yawn mate, you think I'm oppressed and I don't see it, I ignore many laws, I follow my own moral code and it seems to fit with the hardest gang in town so I don't give a toss. ...but worry for me if you like, I appreciate your love and consideration for fellow man.

It's not you I'm worried about—you seem quite content in your complacency—what I'm worried about is the state censorship, and the tyrannical roads it will lead us.

I'm worried why you're such a drama llama to be up in arms over police banning people from their facebook group.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
It's not you I'm worried about—you seem quite content in your complacency—what I'm worried about is the state censorship, and the tyrannical roads it will lead us.

The day I get arrested for arguing with my MP on twitter is the day I might worry. I call him allsorts, just I don't say things like "Your mother is a slut from hell and I would crap in your mouth if I saw you bleeding on the floor tomorrow, no emergency call made by me you deserve to die you #", that would maybe inspire a knock on the door.
I'm certainly not gonna campaign for the right to abuse my MP online in such a way, it's not my thing, so frankly I don't care if people get nicked for being unable to control their tongues online.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: ScepticScot

Communications which are grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false. That's right.

That's some highly selective reading.

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy

originally posted by: Lagomorphe
a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

What’s wrong with Yorkshire you southern puff?

Haha nothing, I was up there recently, Saddleworth Moor is bleak ain't it, but I ain't moving to rural Wakefield if pretend cops nick you for smoking a spliff in your car. Sack that off!
...anyway, it's only summer for two weeks of the year up there, and you can talk running south to France, fecking traitor, probably eat snails n stuff as well stinking of garlic!

I smell of snails... missus loves it and proud you big Cornish girls fluffy blouse!

When are you coming over?

a reply to: ScepticScot

That's some highly selective reading.

Yes, none of you have mentioned it.

a reply to: bastion

Whatever. Keep pretending you know the first thing about it.

It's not statism as unlike other countries the police are there with public consent not state sanctioned like you claim. No ones getting human rights removed except in your imagination where you think you know more than all UK posters about what happens over here.

It is statism. You don't seem to care that the government determines what can or cannot be said online. I don't give a rats ass about "UK posters", especially the one that concede their human rights to state powers. What I care about is free speech.

I'm worried why you're such a drama llama to be up in arms over police banning people from their facebook group.

I'm worried that you excuse the prosecution of people for posting offensive things online.

originally posted by: Lagomorphe
I smell of snails... missus loves it and proud you big Cornish girls fluffy blouse!

Behave or you'll get a pigs bladder over your head...I know Morris men...

When are you coming over?

Depends on if I get nicked for calling my MP something he doesn't like on twitter and sent to the Tower of London lol

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Oh well in the real world Wakefield is so ass backwards rural it still has it's own language for counting sheep - yan, tan, tetherer (one, two, many). It's hardly a bustling metropolis or cultural epicenter.

Read any of the thousands of comments taking the piss out of the police for doing this to see how effective any attempt at supression of speech is, you're living in lala land if you think the public pay any attention to the police or are subservient to them in these cases.

It completely backfired on them and the only thing they can do is ban people from their precious facebook page. Who cares?

I couldn't care less as the law can easily be circumvented by use of language modifiers like 'allgedly' and 'in my opinion' and I'm not into child porn, gore porn, snuff, or terrorism recruitment videos.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Free speech isn't an absolute right anywhere in the world and never has been. For very good reasons.

Seeing any restrictions on it as a slide into tyranny (despite there being less restrictions than ever) is just a slightly paranoid delusion.

a reply to: ScepticScot

Free speech isn't an absolute right anywhere in the world and never has been. For very good reasons. Seeing any restrictions on it as a slide into tyranny (despite there being less restrictions than ever) is just a slightly paranoid delusion.

That's what anti-abolitionists argued in support of slavery. Excuse me if I find that argument stupid. Truth is, we already have absolute free speech, and its been that way since we were born. It is no longer free when someone comes along and suppresses it.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: ScepticScot

Free speech isn't an absolute right anywhere in the world and never has been. For very good reasons. Seeing any restrictions on it as a slide into tyranny (despite there being less restrictions than ever) is just a slightly paranoid delusion.

That's what anti-abolitionists argued in support of slavery. Excuse me if I find that argument stupid. Truth is, we already have absolute free speech, and its been that way since we were born. It is no longer free when someone comes along and suppresses it.

No its nothing like the arguments used by anti-abolitionists.

You understand perfectly well what is meant by free speech in this context.

originally posted by: bastion
Read any of the thousands of comments taking the piss out of the police for doing this to see how effective any attempt at supression of speech is, you're living in lala land if you think the public pay any attention to the police or are subservient to them in these cases.

Jamie Nichol in the facebook comments is from Wakefield, LesMis probably thinks they'll arrest him for this...

Ahahahahaaahahahahahahha little cry baby’s crying because yous got ripped about seizing a pathetic bit of a joint 🤣🤣🤣 go catch some proper criminals and let the guy have his joint ffs ahahahahaha bacon breath

It ain't gonna happen, and I agree, West Yorkshire police have proper shamed themselves and are now just firefighting on social media. People scared of criticising cops online, pfft, funny as #.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

I am about as pro-LE as they come, but taking #### from people is part of the job. Honestly, if a person can't handle some insults and criticism they probably should find a more suitable job I can understand it to a degree, seeing some of the horrible stuff people write on the Internet, but I still think in the end it is better to just take it in stride and let them look foolish

Glad to see they are at least moving in the right direction, trying to shield public officials from criticism just sounds like a dangerous prospect to me! Then again, I am not a UK citizen so my opinion is not very valuable there

*Just read some of those comments, they are hilarious

a reply to: ScepticScot

It is an absolute right in the United States.

"Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech"

These enumerate our unalienable birth rights, and enshrine them in such a way as to specifically insulate them from government. So free speech is unlimited in the United States, but our government will prosecute you for certain exercises of free speech. Good luck trying to reconcile that prosecution with the First Amendment though