Norm_uk

I completely disagree with you and UK law on this point (if that is indeed the law). Given many faiths preach utter contempt for non-believers in their so called "holy books" it is astounding that it could be illegal to speak one's mind about any belief system but it's fine to rubbish the memory of very real soldiers who died protecting the freedoms and sovereignty of the British People

What is good for one isn't good for the other basically? Hence the title Freedom of speech doesn't exist in the UK...

N.

UKCityGent

The soldier is a first class plank - a racist and deserves 70 days religiously aggravated harassment and theft of a Koran from a library. The muslim who burnt the poppy was a plank too - should have been imprisioned.

Question in the air : Is freedom of speech still a freedom when it incites racial/regliously hatred ?

littlejimmy

Bit like the shouting of "Fire" in a crowded theatre...

Boomhauer

Nothing wrong with shouting fire in a crowded theatre if the theatre is on fire.

Bahtatboy

You can't have freedom without responsibility. If people do not act "responsibily" as that it understood by current mores (the customs and conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group or society), then the leglislature needs to step in to define what they are. Thus the Public Order Act 1986:

Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, provides:

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he—

(a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour, or

(b) displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting

within sight or hearing of a person likely to be caused harassment alarm or distress.

(3)(c) it is a defence for the accused to prove that his conduct was reasonable.

The mens rea (the necessary elements) of the offence is found in s. 6(4) of the 1986 Act, which states:

A person is guilty of an offence under section 5 only if he intends his words or behaviour, or the writing, sign or other visible representation, to be threatening, abusive or insulting, or is aware that it may be threatening, abusive or insulting or (as the case may be) he intends his behaviour to be or is aware that it may be disorderly.


Seems to capture both Koran-burning and poppy-burning. I consider that the only issue here is the difference in punishment--and, perhaps, a trend (if there is one) of treating one type of offence more leniently that another.

Millhouse

How does bra burning fit into all of this? This is where all of the ****ing problems have started.

OleJanx

What about shouting "Movie!" in a crowded firehouse?

Paracletus

A pointless but interesting fact. The organization that burns the most American flags are is the American boy scouts. Wooo...go patriots. There is a reason for it, but it doesn't sound equally as funny with reason, rather than keeping it to statistics purely.

Blue Cat

I think there might be some law about this, though not 100% sure

Charismatic

As I mentioned before if we are going to start burning religious books can we at least put some effort into it and burn them all (or better still recycle them all). I agree the world would be a better place without them (except The Gospel of 'The Flying Spaghetti Monster' of course, his work really does promote peace and understanding ).

Norm_uk

Hear hear...

The Dean

Quote:

"If I were God, I'd ban religion"

(Esther Rantzen)

[bless her]

And let's face it - all religion and religious thought is based on the belief that there is a God - if we knew for certain that there was, we wouldn't need religions, would we?

auzdafluff

There isn't, and never has been, freedom of speech in the UK. There's freedom of the media, but that's a right reserved for professional journalists.

It's a common misconception.

JulesinDXB

It's not necessarily religion that's the problem, if people need something to believe or have faith in then fine - at their base level they all teach exactly the same things anyway. It's those that distort things for their own ends. People must remember that all the so-called Holy books, were all written by MAN and are therefore open to interpretation - man is not pure and not biased etc so it's all bullcock at the end of the day.

Personally everyone should just become Jedi and be done with it!

I do however stand by the old saying, 'I do not necessarily agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it!'.

littlejimmy

Presumably after a shag.