The Slow Death Of Free Speech

[silverfaun]

A scroller but intensely interesting to anybody who cares about our rights and freedom.

How the Left, here and abroad, is trying to shut down debate —  from Islam and Israel to global warming and gay marriage

April 2014

These days, pretty much every story is really the same story:

• In Galway, at the National University of Ireland, a speaker who attempts to argue against the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) programme against Israel is shouted down with cries of  effing Zionist, effing  pr…..… Get the eff  off our campus.’

• In California, Mozilla’s chief executive is forced to resign because he once made a political donation in support of the pre-revisionist definition of marriage.

• At Westminster, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee declares that the BBC should seek ‘special clearance’ before it interviews climate sceptics, such as fringe wacko extremists like former Chancellor Nigel Lawson.

• In Massachusetts, Brandeis University withdraws its offer of an honorary degree to a black feminist atheist human rights campaigner from Somalia.

• In London, a multitude of liberal journalists and artists responsible for everything from Monty Python to Downton Abbey sign an open letter in favour of the first state restraints on the British press in three and a quarter centuries.

• And in Canberra the government is planning to repeal Section 18C — whoa, don’t worry, not all of it, just three or four adjectives; or maybe only two, or whatever it’s down to by now, after what Gay Alcorn in the Age described as the ongoing debate about ‘where to strike the balance between free speech in a democracy and protection against racial abuse in a multicultural society’

http://www.spectator.co.uk/australia/australia-features/9187741/the-slow-death-of-free-speech-2/?

[freakiness]

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

And in case you haven't noticed, we DO have freedom of speech in Australia.

What we don't have (and rightly so) is freedom to racially vilify and incite race hatred.

---

It seems we do:

An Adelaide Islamic preacher is under police investigation after he was filmed calling for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed.

Detectives are examining the sermon given by Sheikh Sharif Hussein, who has previously been visited by the intelligence services, in which he described Australian soldiers as "Crusader pigs”.

In the video clip, published online this week by the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute, the preacher attacked Jews, former Prime Minister John Howard and US President Barack Obama.

Click Through To Rest Of Article And Video

---

Why are the police investigating?

[tall_bearded]

I’m at lose as to determine how any of the three examples you cited, and to which I responded, would even remotely fall within the definition of “to vilify/vilification”

I mean the first was a flat refusal to provide information, with the second being a simple expression of support.  This then leaves the third, where Abbott referred the woman journalist as “Madam”, which to me, in the context of how it appears to have been said, was quite rude and  condescending, but falls far short of “to vilify”

[tall_bearded]

“Why are the police investigating?”

“after he was filmed calling for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed” = Incitement to violence

[freakiness]

---

@tall_bearded wrote:

“Why are the police investigating?”

“after he was filmed calling for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed” = Incitement to violence

---

Exactly. So it's hardly allowed or acceptable then is it?

[freakiness]

---

@tall_bearded wrote:

I’m at lose as to determine how any of the three examples you cited, and to which I responded, would even remotely fall within the definition of “to vilify/vilification”

I mean the first was a flat refusal to provide information, with the second being a simple expression of support.  This then leaves the third, where Abbott referred the woman journalist as “Madam”, which to me, in the context of how it appears to have been said, was quite rude and  condescending, but falls far short of “to vilify”

---

It was a typical of Abbott sexist response.

[icyfroth]

---

@freakiness wrote:

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

And in case you haven't noticed, we DO have freedom of speech in Australia.

What we don't have (and rightly so) is freedom to racially vilify and incite race hatred.

---

It seems we do:

An Adelaide Islamic preacher is under police investigation after he was filmed calling for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed.

Detectives are examining the sermon given by Sheikh Sharif Hussein, who has previously been visited by the intelligence services, in which he described Australian soldiers as "Crusader pigs”.

In the video clip, published online this week by the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute, the preacher attacked Jews, former Prime Minister John Howard and US President Barack Obama.

Click Through To Rest Of Article And Video

---

Why are the police investigating?

---

lol you're a funny girl, freaki!

Why didn't you click throught the link to find out? That's what I put it there for, for ppl who want more information.

Or did you mean: why are they investigating instead of arresting?

Or did you mean you find othing wrong with that sort of hate speech?

[freakiness]

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@freakiness wrote:

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

And in case you haven't noticed, we DO have freedom of speech in Australia.

What we don't have (and rightly so) is freedom to racially vilify and incite race hatred.

---

It seems we do:

An Adelaide Islamic preacher is under police investigation after he was filmed calling for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed.

Detectives are examining the sermon given by Sheikh Sharif Hussein, who has previously been visited by the intelligence services, in which he described Australian soldiers as "Crusader pigs”.

In the video clip, published online this week by the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute, the preacher attacked Jews, former Prime Minister John Howard and US President Barack Obama.

Click Through To Rest Of Article And Video

---

Why are the police investigating?

---

lol you're a funny girl, freaki! Why didn't you click throught the link to find out? That's what I put it there for.

Or did you mean: why are they investigating instead of arresting?

---

You're telling the story.  "It seems we do"

What has happened since the story was published? Was he arrested? Is he still in the country?

Surely the case has progressed since August last year.

[tall_bearded]

Laws limiting freedom of speech have always been there, with the laws pertaining slander and liable and incitement to violence being the big three.  That is you actually don’t need a fourth as the other three provide society with sufficient protection against this kind of conduct.

As for Abbott, my views on him are part of the public record.  That is though traditionally a LNP voter, I have and will continue to refuse to support any Government he leads.

[lakeland27]

it's noticable that the carp media concentrate on islamic extremists while ignoring almost every other kind. we have loopier extremists sitting on the government benches. people who actually take part in the decision making process.. rather than lone voices in the wilderness who's opinions dont mean bleep.  its poor journalism.

[icyfroth]

---

@freakiness wrote:

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@freakiness wrote:

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

And in case you haven't noticed, we DO have freedom of speech in Australia.

What we don't have (and rightly so) is freedom to racially vilify and incite race hatred.

---

It seems we do:

An Adelaide Islamic preacher is under police investigation after he was filmed calling for all Buddhists and Hindus to be killed.

Detectives are examining the sermon given by Sheikh Sharif Hussein, who has previously been visited by the intelligence services, in which he described Australian soldiers as "Crusader pigs”.

In the video clip, published online this week by the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute, the preacher attacked Jews, former Prime Minister John Howard and US President Barack Obama.

Click Through To Rest Of Article And Video

---

Why are the police investigating?

---

lol you're a funny girl, freaki! Why didn't you click throught the link to find out? That's what I put it there for.

Or did you mean: why are they investigating instead of arresting?

---

You're telling the story.  "It seems we do"

What has happened since the story was published? Was he arrested? Is he still in the country?

Surely the case has progressed since August last year.

---

Apparently not. Or not that's been published. Why do you think that is?