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Its not swearing though. You want people locked up for saying "please officer stop bothering us" cause its analogous with 'piss off'? We have to decide whether
by cortic 8y ago
Its not swearing though. You want people locked up for saying "please officer stop bothering us" cause its analogous with 'piss off'?
We have to decide whether expressing a (legal but unfriendly) sentiment is illegal, or only some wordings of a (legal but unfriendly) sentiment are illegal.
Actually we don't have to decide, and the police will be quite happy, its a catch-all law; they get to arrest anyone they don't like and the public get to live in a legal grey area where they are only safe if they grovel and plead, its a minefield, tell me again why can't we have freedom of speech?
- DanBC 8y agoThe law is pretty clear. >A section 5 offence comprises two elements: > A person must (a) use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or (b) display any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting; and > The words or behaviour, or writing, sign of other visible representation must be within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby. This is all intepreted by the courts and they do push back against police misuse of the act.
- cortic 8y agoThreatening, abusive, harassment even alarm are all superfluous words to make insulting and distressed look better, really, to answer my own question; why can't we have freedom of speech? Cause we are a society distressingly terrified of being insulted.