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It's happened quite a lot in the last few years, e.g. following the collapse of a black football player, Fabrice Muamba.[1] You have to consider the different
by robmil 13y ago
It's happened quite a lot in the last few years, e.g. following the collapse of a black football player, Fabrice Muamba.[1]
You have to consider the different context at play here; the UK has never had a history of "fundamentalist" (for want of a better word) free speech like there is in the US. There are plenty of laws on the books, from sending malicious communications to inciting racial hatred, that prevent speech that would be entirely legal in the US.
I think that's something that's reflected (either a cause or an effect, I'm not sure which) in public opinion, too; there's certainly no widespread outcry here at these types of arrest. The only recent case I can think of where the ruling was against free speech and where public opinion was significantly against the ruling was the Robin Hood Airport tweet, where someone tweeted an obviously incredible threat to blow up an airport.[2]
[1]: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/27/student-jailed-fabrice-muamba-tweets http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/27/student-jailed-fabr...
[2]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19009344 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19009344
- lmm 13y agoInterestingly the biggest recent tweet/speech-related outcry I remember in the UK was a case of US authorities not seeing the funny side: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093796/Emily-Bunting-Leigh-Van-Bryan-UK-tourists-arrested-destroy-America-Twitter-jokes.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093796/Emily-Buntin...
- lutze 13y agoYeah, this article's blinkered, hyperbolic and frankly smug tone is pretty amusing when you take things like the above into context. He even sticks a "literally Hitler!" on the end for good measure.
- dmix 13y agoI apologize for posting blogspam but I refuse to post the DailyMail on HN. Either way the mods took this article off the frontpage. As a side note, the border security do not operate under the same laws as the US courts/police. It's a grey area where they can arbitrarily deny you for looking at them the wrong way. Free speech doesn't apply at border crossings. In addition noone was arrested domestically. Not the best analogy.