Teen charged over Facebook post on UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan#

I must be missing something here. This is it?

Inflammatory yes.. Arrestable offence? Uh...

reply to post by Aim64C

Strong words from an immature brat, in my own opinion.

I, honestly, do not believe there is anything trial-worthy in this instance. Even if this kid is a prospective member of more radical groups - it is important to separate sentiments from crimes and/or criminal intent.

He has now been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence in connection with the posting after being arrested last week. Read more: www.metro.co.uk...

It's one of those weird UK laws he was charged under.

While the kid isn't someone I would want to know, or is he the most tactful... He is simply stating his opinion. He should have done it without bringing recently deceased soldiers into it, but, he was trying to prove a point.

Do the media and people in western nations mourn the loss of innocent people killed in enemy countries? Should they the same as they would mourn the loss of the nations soldiers?

A good question to ask yourself.

reply to post by boncho


If the source post was an arrestable offense, the responses to it most certainly are.

Perhaps we should instate a "facebook fine" - hate-inciting posts get fined 10 facebook credits, deficits to be added to a person's taxes.

Sounds more sensible than arrests and trials - though still disturbingly draconian.

reply to post by Aim64C


People post similar stuff on ATS all the time. Minus the language of course, given the censors. I don't really know why in this case it has to be met with police action. (No matter where in the world it was posted.)

There are wars going on. People don't expect others to be mad about it? Love ones of dead soldiers, loved ones of dead non-combatants. They are all suffering. But they want to blame each other for some reason.

And states are taking up the fight for god knows what reason.

Makes.

No.

Sense.

for some reason the link didn't work with me. but from the snippit i'm sure i can say that whatever is posted on someone's facebook page is their opinion and they are entitled to it. maybe he can be charged for threatening someone, but if someone can't post their opinion on their fb page then free speech is dead and buried.

Calling for the death of people, is hate speech not freedom of speech. He got exactly what was coming to him.

It is a tough topic to summarize.

Yes, it's the kids personal page, BUT he does have 647 friends that could have all potentially read that 'private' post.

Also, regarding the FB page that was created. Why hasn't the author of that page been arrested? He/she has even posted picture's of the teenager's personal page! With his location and place of work at the top! Already 2500 people are following it.

And finally, I noticed that 1 or 2 peeps clearly have no idea what the BRITISH agenda is out there. All I'm gonna say is, we are taught NOT to touch or even look at an Afghan woman, we no longer use fast-air bomb drops, and we can only fire at insurgents if we are pretty certain that they need to be shot! Ie) they are firing at us.

So no, there's no raping, no slicing up kids and certainly no killing of innocent people! We work side by side with Afghan army & police on every mission!! Would they really stand there and watch us gun down innocent people?!

Originally posted by Thetawave
Calling for the death of people, is hate speech not freedom of speech. He got exactly what was coming to him.

Im curious, how often do we see people on the internet calling for the death of criminals?

Should they too be charged?

All crime should be punishable by death -Hope the OP of that thread doesn't live in the UK.

o.0

A friend of mine who lost a son in Afghanistan in 2009 was recently a victim of an internet troll who said awful things to her that cannot be repeated on this site..

The soldiers daughter got to read the messages too and is now under going PTSD counciling because of the scumbag... Who btw is just some WHITE young chav...

Lets just say that the regiment looks after its own...

reply to post by EvanB

The soldiers daughter got to read the messages too and is now under going PTSD counciling because of the scumbag... Who btw is just some WHITE young chav...

Was this covered by the media? I'm interested to see the story.

PTSD? The daughter got it because someone trolled her?

I come from a military family and there isn't much anyone could say about those who served that would change my opinion on them. Or anything that would have given me as a kid "PTSD", being that PTSD is used to diagnose a specific anxiety disorder seen after real trauma:

Assault

Domestic abuse

Prison stay

Rape

Terrorism

War

Link

reply to post by boncho


No not yet, but it will soon....

Naming and shaming is the way to go rather than charging someone, going against their freedom of speech I think..

That is the route we have taken with our very own troll.. The boys were ready to go to jail themselves to get the creep but were convinced otherwise....

And yes... The girl had lost her dad.. That trauma itself compounded by this asshole has the wee girl in pieces..

I have just posted this on facebook..

A young person has been arrested for posting unsavoury comments about British Soldiers In Afghanistan. I do not condone or have any sympathy with his opinions.......... but the last I heard an opinion is not a crime in the UK. This a slow encroachment on our Internet freedoms, which should be defended with vigour. Otherwise the Information super highway will become just another propaganda tool for the powers that be. Some of you ..ney most of you will dismiss this post, but you have been warned........ The INTERNET POLICE ARE COMING TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU.
I am Deleting my Facebook account in Protest

edit on 13-3-2012 by rigel4 because: (no reason given)

This is idiotic..he has a freaking right to be angry. Soldiers are over there killing civilians..so what the hell would you expect, his people are being slaughtered and you moan about him pointing out the truth.

You British posters are simply racist fools. See it all the time on ATS...good thing I know better that to think you represent all of Britain.

An Afghan writes that all British soldiers should die..ARREST HIM..A soldier kills Afghan civilians along with Taliban ..let's celebrate his victory. An Afghan family which includes little children..killed by your soldiers and it's allies...no tears or remorse from any of you....One single British soldier dies....the country mourns. Sheesh get your freaking priorities straight.

I think the fact that public interest (and outrage) grew so fast with regard to what he posted on Facebook, it would have been improper for the Police not to have acted on this.

If your views don't tend to reflect that of the majority, you are bound to raise eyebrows. It's the same if someone was to walk down the street as a bright pink unicorn, you are going to stand out and draw a lot of attention. I don't believe for a second that whilst posting this to his page, he never thought of the implications of his actions when typing it. He probably thought it would be inflammatory, but posted it anyway.

Calling for ALL soldiers to die just because of a handful of 'bad eggs' is simply unjustified, insensitive and extreme. How many thousands of soldiers how made a positive impact in Afghanistan since it kicked off in 2001?

If an American was to kill a Brit tomorrow morning, would that make it acceptable for me to post a comment on a social networking site calling for the death of ALL Americans? Calling all Americans rapists and accuse them of slicing up children? I imagine I would be called biased, hateful and labelled as an extremist.

reply to post by maskedkhan


Should the offending post not just be removed, if it goes against the
T&C's, and the account terminated.

Arrested, well frankly i find that down right draconian.

Originally posted by EvanB


And yes... The girl had lost her dad.. That trauma itself compounded by this asshole has the wee girl in pieces..

Stop.

Think.

What about the trauma of those in their own country who have lost family to the invaders?

I'm not condoning it at all, but I am trying to give you perspective, other than down the barrel of a gun.

These laws are also there to protect minoroties and are more often used in those cirumstances, however facebook is public, he should have kept his opinions between him and his friends otherwise he is inciting hatred.

Thats the thing about facebook, in the eyes of the law you may as well be standing in the street. Even going back years youths have been charged over pictures of knives etc. This isnt really surpising and no one is entitled to a public forum to preach racial hatred though some like Abu Hamza al-Masri did in past get a platform for a while before getting shut down. The country doesnt want to repeat that as it causes frictions between communities and we would rather everyone got along.

He has every right to protest the war but to make it against the Queens Dead soliders was stupid. I dont agree with what is happening out there but I dont blame soldiers who are just taking orders, this isnt America and we do not accept protests at funerals etc. Its in bad taste and it would not be accepted from anyone.

Minorities are protected in the UK and sometimes we apply the same laws to deal with extremism of other sorts. For the first time today a couple of boys in Scotland were convicted and fined for singing sectarian songs on a train. Freedom of speech is allowed but not when it is poisonus and likely to encite violence.

Personally Id rather see radicals stopped early than see them on page 1 alongside a load of victims of their fanatical beliefs and it may be this boy was singled out for posts he has made elsewhere, I see no-one has had the gumption to look into that. His mistake was using facebook, people got jailed last year for saying "lets start a riot lol" he may as well have gone outside and shouted it in the street.

That said I dont personally support the war

reply to post by rigel4


It may go against the 'free speech' grain. But the cat was out of the bag. He said what he said and must be held accountable. In an ideal world, his post could have been removed but the damage was already done. Still etched on peoples minds.

How far do we let this go? If we ignore what he posted then we should ignore the fact that homecoming troops get spat on and have poppies burned. All because it their right to demonstrate their views. The law is the law and if the law is broken, the police need to do what they are paid for and enforce it.

Originally posted by maskedkhan

If we ignore what he posted then we should ignore the fact that homecoming troops get spat on and have poppies burned.

Yep..poppies being burned and soldiers being spat on are just as horrible as innocent children and adults being killed.

To say that these soldiers should die for their atrocities is damn wrong and he must pay the price.

A soldier kills civilians..well he should be protected from spit and poppies being burned and he should be welcomed back as a hero.

Gotcha.

You people are all fools. "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" is the very definition of the principle of freedom of speech. There already are laws about inciting riots, or crying "fire" in a theater etc.

If you approve of this guy being arrested you will approve anything, if it is just presented to you nicely.

When you have huge groups of people saying stuff you don't like, well, either your govt shouldn't have let them flood into the country, or, gasp, maybe they are actually right.