And this is an absolute rule? Does it really matter whether you call this a “hate crime” law or a “hate speech” law, when the intent and the result is the same?
It could provoke a violent reaction from unionists, which presumably is the point of the arrest.
Yes, it matters. Because people use stupid results of laws like these, and other hate speech laws to critique hate crime laws, despite them being very different things.
There’s perfectly legitimate arguments against both, but the opponents of hate crime laws shouldn’t be able to latch on to things like this as a defense of their position.
If thats you opinion then fair enough, but please don’t represent it as everyone elses views because it isn’t .
And it has happened again: Police arrest man for posting picture of burning a poppy.
Well, they are being fair. They went after a Brit in Kent, this time.
It is a stupid law, but they seem intent on enforcing it evenly, (if stupidly).
Oh to be clear, I never thought the kids in the North were arrested because they were Irish, just that this is a lousy application of the law, be it in NI or in Britain.
That would seem to me to be a pretty clear definition of a law that limits freedom of speech.
I heard this on Radio 4 on the way into work this morning and was amazed at how draconian the laws in the UK are becoming.
As stated earlier burning poppies and flags may be assholish behaviour, but it shouldn’t necessarily be defined as hate speech.
The Malicious Communications Act 2003 strikes again!
You know this isn’t in the US, right?
That said, arresting anyone for either burning a poppy (and I’m assuming it’s the paper buttonhole poppies, of course) or posting a picture of such is ludicrous. It’s a shitty thing to do, but shouldn’t be illegal.
Those poppies are made by former servicemen whose disabilities make it difficult for them to find other work. The company they work for, reemploy, gets a subsidy from the govt. The current govt has withdrawn said subsidy. Makes it extra hypocritical for them to arrest people for burning said poppies.
Most of them are made by The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory Ltd, with 5 million slightly different ones being made by the Earl Haig Fund Scotland charity (which I see is now apparently also part of the British Legion).