[Kiss]

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17416472

Fabrice Muamba: 'Offensive' Twitter comments prompt police inquiryContinue reading the main story
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Muamba remains 'critically ill'
South Wales Police say a man, aged 21, has been arrested in connection with racially offensive comments made on the social network site Twitter.

It is understood to follow complaints about comments made following the collapse of Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba during a FA Cup tie on Saturday.

Police said a man from Pontypridd is being held at Swansea police station.

Muamba, 23, is in a critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest during the first half at Tottenham.

He is in intensive care at the London Chest Hospital.

The comments, which appeared on Saturday evening, have been removed from Twitter.

Whilst I do wish Muamba a speedy recovery and wish the best for his family, I found this to be a huge over-reaction, as if people are now all of a sudden not allowed to dislike Muamba. As for the racial comments, whilst I don't agree with any racist sentiments and that racism should be challenged, trying to silence his opinions and censor his comments is a bit oppressive. I'm sure someone made a very similar thread about this a few days ago but in terms of free-speech and not being allowed to say certain things etc.

Anyway, that's just my impression of things, what do you think?

[LtCommanderData]

I think that whilst people don't think of Twitter as a medium of 'the press', it's fair to look at it that way. We have mostly free speech and free press in this country, but there are exceptions against inciting racial hatred. Wikipedia says " The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 made publication of material that incited racial hatred an arrestable offence.".

So, since he was publishing these comments on his public Twitter page, I think that it would set a dangerous precedent not to apply the law to such conditions.

[Genocidal]

Of course it is, remember this guy? http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ther_multiline

The internet is becoming less and less free for people to say what they like. The only places where you can get away with real freedom of speech now is in the darker corners of the internet. I believe it was Winston Churchill who once said that the facists of the future will be the anti-fascists, quite apt for the way we are going.

[Tommyjw]

Good. He was racist, and posted racist things in a public domain, and thus should be punished for it. Dont give a **** if it has anything to do with freedom of speech, it is published material and should be treated so.

[tehFrance]

(Original post by Kiss)
As for the racial comments, whilst I don't agree with any racist sentiments and that racism should be challenged, trying to silence his opinions and censor his comments is a bit oppressive ... In terms of free-speech and not being allowed to say certain things etc.

Under British law, freedom of speech stops once you incite hatred and you can be arrested for it. Britain is not the US whereby you can say whatever you like and be protected under the First Amendment. So if this guy was inciting hatred (in this case racial hatred) he can be arrested and charged for it.

Why people think that the Britain has as relaxed Freedom of Speech laws like the US so they can say what they like is beyond me as Britain does not... I wonder if any of these people paid attention in school

[ROYP]

I don't see why inciting hatred should be illegal. Let these people expose themselves as ********s.

[pinda.college]

That was not freedom of speech, that was just disrespect to a man who is fighting for his live in hospital.

[JoeK]

(Original post by Tommyjw)
Good. He was racist, and posted racist things in a public domain, and thus should be punished for it. Dont give a **** if it has anything to do with freedom of speech, it is published material and should be treated so.

This. I saw some of his tweets and reported his account. His comments were unbelievable.

[limetang]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Under British law, freedom of speech stops once you incite hatred and you can be arrested for it. Britain is not the US whereby you can say whatever you like and be protected under the First Amendment. So if this guy was inciting hatred (in this case racial hatred) he can be arrested and charged for it.

Why people think that the Britain has as relaxed Freedom of Speech laws like the US so they can say what they like is beyond me as Britain does not... I wonder if any of these people paid attention in school

Correct. But just because it's the law it doesn't mean it's right. I don't support racism (far from it) but I do support a persons right to free speech and by extension a persons right to make racist comments if they choose to. Unfortunately that's where the law and myself disagree.

[rich2606]

Did he retweet a joke from sickipedia or something?

[ForensicShoe]

Good.

[Belle-x]

Good. Can't beleive how sick some people are, God know's what they get out of it. There's another one on Twitter that I've seen mentioned a lot, some American guy calling Muamba all sort's of names and saying he deserves to die. Horrible.

The guy in that article has claimed somebody stole his phone and hacked him. Can face up to seven years in prison but doubt anything will come of it tbh.

[Tommyjw]

(Original post by limetang)
Correct. But just because it's the law it doesn't mean it's right. I don't support racism (far from it) but I do support a persons right to free speech and by extension a persons right to make racist comments if they choose to.

People are free to say it where it wouldnt offend someone and rightly so. I could go outside and say it all day, as long as no1 if offended by what i am doing. If i admitted to the police i was talking to the mirror making very racist comments inside my house then nothing would happen, and so it shouldn't.

But you have to mix the rights of the person to say what he wants whenever he wants, with the rights of those around him to live without such views being forced on them wherever they may go, which is why the law is good. Should we allow anyone to walk around a town centre and say extremely racist things (that arent directly aimed at people) and make everyone near him suffer for it? No. 'Freedom of speech' has to be cut down and put in line with other peoples rights.

[coca]

I'm glad he was arrested. I'm so sick of these internet warriors.

[limetang]

(Original post by ROYP)
I don't see why inciting hatred should be illegal. Let these people expose themselves as ********s.

This. The excuse of 'inciting hatred' is pathetic. For a couple of reasons actually. Let's use the KONY 2012 activists as an example. It's safe to say that their videos were inciting hatred towards Joseph Kony. Rightful hatred but hatred nonetheless. So is hatred in itself wrong or...? And where you draw that line as to what counts as inciting hatred and what doesn't is ludicrous.

[Kiss]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Under British law, freedom of speech stops once you incite hatred and you can be arrested for it. Britain is not the US whereby you can say whatever you like and be protected under the First Amendment. So if this guy was inciting hatred (in this case racial hatred) he can be arrested and charged for it.

Why people think that the Britain has as relaxed Freedom of Speech laws like the US so they can say what they like is beyond me as Britain does not... I wonder if any of these people paid attention in school

Well since we don't know what he actually said it's hard to judge what exactly could be made to be 'inciting hatred'.

It's not a question of why, it's a question of 'why should'. And thanks, I always appreciate snide comments

[limetang]

(Original post by Tommyjw)
People are free to say it where it wouldnt offend someone and rightly so. I could go outside and say it all day, as long as no1 if offended by what i am doing. If i admitted to the police i was talking to the mirror making very racist comments inside my house then nothing would happen, and so it shouldn't.

But you have to mix the rights of the person to say what he wants whenever he wants, with the rights of those around him to live without such views being forced on them wherever they may go, which is why the law is good. Should we allow anyone to walk around a town centre and say extremely racist things (that arent directly aimed at people) and make everyone near him suffer for it? No. 'Freedom of speech' has to be cut down and put in line with other peoples rights.

Offence is relative. How on earth can you make laws about something so goddam subjective. By that logic anything you say could in theory be illegal if you find one person who finds it offensive. Preventing people from getting offended should take a back seat to allowing people to speak their mind. Besides. Nothing actually happens if you get offended. They don't burst into flames or anything like that.

You either have the right to speak freely about any matter irrespective of whether it offends someone or you do not have the right to free speech.

[beepbeeprichie]

"If we don't believe in free expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -- Noam Chomsky.

That says it all really.

[Tommyjw]

(Original post by limetang)
Offence is relative. How on earth can you make laws about something so goddam subjective. By that logic anything you say could in theory be illegal if you find one person who finds it offensive. Preventing people from getting offended should take a back seat to allowing people to speak their mind. Besides. Nothing actually happens if you get offended. They don't burst into flames or anything like that.

You either have the right to speak freely about any matter irrespective of whether it offends someone or you do not have the right to free speech.

Because it's all about whether the reasonable person would find it offensive.

Last bit is pure and utter garbage. Freedom of speech does and always lasted up until a point where it impedes other peoples rights and that is how it should be. Nowhere in freedom of speech does it say that it should be allowed over all and every other right or law.

[prog2djent]

"If we don't believe in free expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -- Noam Chomsky.

Thanks beepbeeprichie, hopefully the so called 'left' on here realise a real lefty says such things.