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This is a very good hack and also a reminder for Western countries and political actors that these kind of break-ins are not necessarily criminals acts but may
by yaix 15y ago
This is a very good hack and also a reminder for Western countries and political actors that these kind of break-ins are not necessarily criminals acts but may be political demonstrations. If a break-in is non-destructive and has as motivation a political demonstration, in a democracy it should be treated as such and not be brushed aside as "criminal".
- corin_ 15y agoIt's far too easy to jump to "if the non-digital equivilent happened.." comparisons without realising that they don't actually line-up right. If I broke onto an MoD base in person, no matter how little damage I did or how much my motivation was politically driven, I'd be arrested pretty damn quick. And I'm talking about countries like the UK/US, not Syria.
- yaix 15y agoGreenpeace did that lots of times. They usually went straight to the roof of the company building and unrolled a large sign with their protest text ("{companyname} polutes {someplace} with {somesubstance}" etc. The beginnings of protests try to call attention for a cause. It gets media attention and people notice it. Now people know and can actually support the cause. If it can get a majority, the initial "illegal action" changed the law by forcing the government to react to what people actuallt want. That's the essence of democracy: to make the government do what the people want and not the other way around. I am really surprised (not positively) that this sparked a big discussion.
- yid 15y agoA break-in, by definition, is criminal regardless of the motivation. This would be like breaking into city hall to stage a protest -- the protest part is democratic, the break-in part is criminal.
- Tsagadai 15y agoThe Syrian government has already said the protests are illegal. So if we follow pure logic, they are all criminals and should be locked up. This comes back to a fundamental question of democracy, who owns the government?
- danenania 15y agoHow about when the folks making the laws are criminals? Perhaps we should be more concerned with right and wrong than following the rules.
- yid 15y agoThe OP's post was about standards in a democratic/free country. You're referring to an oppressive regime.
- burgerbrain 15y agoThose are both relative. How many countries is Syria actively at war with? No, acts such as these are political expression no matter the particular flavour of the oppression the host countries government engages in.
- khafra 15y agoWhen the folks making the laws are criminals, breaking the law is still criminal. By definition. Whether it's right or wrong is a different and more nuanced question; but it's not the question addressed by the parent. I sympathise with your perspective, but I dislike "debate drift."
- IsaacSchlueter 15y agoEvery time someone says "By definition" as if it means something, a little vomit rises to the back of my throat.
- yid 15y agoOn the contrary, "by definition" has a very clear meaning in mathematics and logic. On HN and other forums with logically-slanted people, it's used to reduce ambiguity in drifting debates like this one.
- Kirchart123 15y ago
- burgerbrain 15y agoIf you consider this criminal, then I consider "criminal" to be a merit-less allegation.