• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Wow, UK has lost freedom of speech

Sweden was the first country to lintrodice legislation to protect the freedom of the press (1766, and it was surprisingly extensive), since 1810, we have had parliamentary ombudsmen whose jobs it is to make sure that authorities do not break laws. Our constitution protects our right to free speech, our right to demonstrate, to organise, and our right to transparency. Pretty good, i'd say. Does that mean that we are the arbiters of how every other country should look at free speech? Of course not. Context matters, and countries differ. There are always restrictions, and every society needs to find a balance - disturbing the peace, incitement to crime; none of those terms are all that clear, and boundaries have to be set and reset, according the current situation. It's utterly ridiculous to say that UK has lost free speech - the US does not have interpretative prerogative when it comes to free speech, or indeed to any other freedoms. Your democracy was once ahead of the curve, but to me it seems to be falling behind, further snd further.
 
Helen said:
Sweden was the first country to lintrodice legislation to protect the freedom of the press (1766, and it was surprisingly extensive), since 1810, we have had parliamentary ombudsmen whose jobs it is to make sure that authorities do not break laws. Our constitution protects our right to free speech, our right to demonstrate, to organise, and our right to transparency. Pretty good, i'd say. Does that mean that we are the arbiters of how every other country should look at free speech? Of course not. Context matters, and countries differ. There are always restrictions, and every society needs to find a balance - disturbing the peace, incitement to crime; none of those terms are all that clear, and boundaries have to be set and reset, according the current situation. It's utterly ridiculous to say that UK has lost free speech - the US does not have interpretative prerogative when it comes to free speech, or indeed to any other freedoms. Your democracy was once ahead of the curve, but to me it seems to be falling behind, further snd further.
Click to expand...

Indeed. It would be unthinkable for the UK's Head of State (The King) or Head of Government (The Prime Minister) to criticise media outlets and journalists/broadcasters for anything they'd said which lay within the law. Let alone threatening their removal/silencing/shutting down. Let alone using executive authority to put into practice their removal/silencing/shutting down. All of which the chestnut-brown narcissistic moron across the pond has done with casual alacrity.
 
LondonJohn said:
In England & Wales, it appears to be a criminal offence (my emphasis):

  • Terrorism offences – Hamas and Hezbollah are proscribed organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000, which makes it an offence to belong to, express support for including by arranging meetings, wearing articles or publishing images that arouse reasonable suspicion of support for the groups.

Palestine Protests – What are my rights? - Saunders Law

As hundreds of thousands of protestors across the UK have taken to the streets to call for a ceasefire in response to Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza, Home Secretary Suella Braverman...
www.saunders.co.uk www.saunders.co.uk
Click to expand...
Ok, so in parts of the UK it is a crime to wave a Hamas flag. Thank you.
 
Hercules56 said:
Ok, so in parts of the UK it is a crime to wave a Hamas flag. Thank you.
Click to expand...
That's not what is being said. It's an offense to show support for enemies of the state and the people. That makes sense to a lot of us. You would basically be saying "I wish to commit acts of terrorism on my country", which is a bare threat.

A lot of us in the States see it the same way. Declare yourself an enemy of the state, and you should be treated as such.
 
Thermal said:
That's not what is being said. It's an offense to show support for enemies of the state and the people. That makes sense to a lot of us. You would basically be saying "I wish to commit acts of terrorism on my country", which is a bare threat.

A lot of us in the States see it the same way. Declare yourself an enemy of the state, and you should be treated as such.
Click to expand...
Hamas is an enemy of the UK?
 
Helen said:
Quote from the text.
Click to expand...
wear clothing or carry or display articles in public in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that the individual is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation (section 13)
publish an image of an item of clothing or other article, such as a flag or logo, in the same circumstances (section 13(1A)

www.gov.uk

Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations

www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
Last edited:
Ziggurat said:
That's an overly narrow definition. The US and the USSR were enemies during the cold war, but not actually at war with each other.
Click to expand...
We were not enemies in a legal sense. It was metaphorical.

According to federal law, an enemy state is one that we are at war with. Which is why the Rosenbergs were not charged with treason.
 
Last edited:
Hercules56 said:
We were not enemies in a legal sense.
Click to expand...
We're talking the UK here, not the US, so US law doesn't apply. And the UK (and the US) has declared Hamas to be a terrorist organization. So doesn't that make them enemies in some legal sense as well? Don't argue the constitutional definition of treason, that's not relevant here.
 
Thermal said:
Terrorists are enemies of pretty much all Western States and free nations, yeah.
Click to expand...
Not legally, at least in the USA. According to US Federal law, war must be declared against a state by Congress for them to be a legal enemy, and by extension it be an act of treason to support them.
 
Ziggurat said:
We're talking the UK here, not the US, so US law doesn't apply. And the UK (and the US) has declared Hamas to be a terrorist organization. So doesn't that make them enemies in some legal sense as well? Don't argue the constitutional definition of treason, that's not relevant here.
Click to expand...

I don't know what the law is regarding the legal designation of an enemy state in the UK..do you??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom