UK jails another for saying offensive things on the internet

[Silent Hunter]

He pleaded guility and I don't see any freedom of speech justification for this.

A jail sentence was possibly an over-reaction though.

[Silent Hunter]

He pleaded guility and I don't see any freedom of speech justification for this.

A jail sentence was possibly an over-reaction though.

You don't seem to value freedom of speech much.

Freedom of speech does not equal offensive jokes about a possibly murdered young girl.

[Silent Hunter]

He pleaded guility and I don't see any freedom of speech justification for this.

A jail sentence was possibly an over-reaction though.

You don't seem to value freedom of speech much.

Freedom of speech does not equal offensive jokes about a possibly murdered young girl.

So what does "freedom of speech" include? Do you not see the contradiction here? Speech is not actually free the way you envision it.

Freedom of speech includes airing your opinion on a variety of topics while respecting the right of other people to hold their own opinions and their fundamental humanity.

I can't give a clear definition what isn't included, but I know what shouldn't be when I see it.

[Silent Hunter]

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Is this the name of the crime?
Is their a difference between saying something on the street and writing it on the internet?

Of course. Legally, I think everywhere in the world that has laws on the issue, writing something on the internet is much more akin to publishing a book.

Which is a problem since that's not remotely how people actually behave, but there you are. (Of course it still couldn't lead to any kind of sentence in the US, and not to this kind of sentence in this kind of case in Germany; that much is classic British Populist Nannystatism.)

What do people get for swastikas in Germany?

[Silent Hunter]

Here's another one I feel a bit uneasy about.  Stupid and offensive, yes, but 8 months in jail?

4 months of that was for breaching of a suspended sentence for cannabis possession.

[Silent Hunter]

Here's another one I feel a bit uneasy about.  Stupid and offensive, yes, but 8 months in jail?

4 months of that was for breaching of a suspended sentence for cannabis possession.

Ah much better, only 4 months for the "offensive behavior" then.

It's actually an 8 month sentence for the offensive behavior; the other 4 month charge is concurrent.

Ah, right. Thanks.