Topic: Is this freedom of speech? Wtf?

[Pugnate]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oct/09/community-sentence-facebook-dead-soldiers

Read the whole article. This is the third such incident I've read about this month.

[Cobra951]

Yes, it's free speech.  In this country, such a conviction would get thrown out by a higher court.  No, I don't care what happens to him.

[ren]

He got in trouble for saying that? Crazy. Dismissing the crassness of his first sentence, he has a fair point.

[idolminds]

Yeah I'm blown away that he even got in trouble.

[gpw11]

Yeah, England and, to a lesser extent, Canada have far more restrictions on free speech.  For instance, unless something has changed in the last few years, I could technically be charged for making statements which incite hate were I too so such a thing.  Whatever the fuck that means. 

I still don't think this would fly here though.  Thank God.

[Xessive]

You guys are lucky, "free speech" is considered an oxymoron where I'm from

[ren]

Yeah, England and, to a lesser extent, Canada have far more restrictions on free speech.  For instance, unless something has changed in the last few years, I could technically be charged for making statements which incite hate were I too so such a thing.  Whatever the fuck that means. 

I still don't think this would fly here though.  Thank God.

I've forgotten many of the ins and outs with our free speech laws but I don't think this would cause any issue. The second part of his comments where he explains his thought process would probably push him into the good faith/for the public good area. Also soldiers aren't an identifiable group according to section 319 of the charter: a group defined by colour, race, religion or ethnic origin.

I just assumed Britain was around the same level as us on free speech but I guess not.