Slog - Comments on In Other Bizarre British Free-Speech Cases

Comment by Sirkowski

Sirkowski — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:41:32 -0800

Since they used a work of satire thinking it was racist, I say put them in the gas chamber and see if they get the irony.

Comment by jebus h. xst

jebus h. xst — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:46:44 -0800

Mistaking a satiric cartoon for racist truth -- that couldn't happen here.

Comment by Big Sven

Big Sven — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:56 -0800

Oh Vishnu! jebus, you so totally nailed it.

Comment by wench

wench — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:24:58 -0800

Ok, so these are UK citizens, who broke a UK law while in the UK. And they've fled to the US because they don't like the fact that the law exists. Give me a ^%@%$! break. Ship 'em back over - this is the UK, not Nigeria.

To quote the prosecutor - "People in this country are entitled to be racist and they are entitled to hold unpleasant points of view, but what they aren't entitled to do is publish or distribute written material which is insulting, threatening or abusive and is intended to stir up racial hatred or is likely to do so."

Comment by ellarosa

ellarosa — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:52:21 -0800

sure give them asylum--after we've given asylum to way more deserving types who are being denied it now.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:01:43 -0800

Are their lives in danger if they go back to England? No? Then send 'em back. We have plenty of asylum seekers here who would be shot, with their families, if they returned to the countries from which they fled. These latter should obviously have priority.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:44:09 -0800

Asylum for the hair, but not the dude.

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:47:50 -0800

Why? Is Dee Snyder in desperate need of a transplant?

Comment by ams

ams — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:15:54 -0800

@5,6- I totally agree. And yet the US expects Canada to give back every person who sold a few seeds and is now facing life in prison for it. If these two stains are granted asylum I would recommend Mark Emery chain himself to a tree in Roberts Creek, and throw away the key.

Comment by Jason

Jason — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:49:21 -0800

These two should not get assylum--they knew the law and they chose to break it, and their life is not in danger should they return to the UK.

That said, I think the UK is completely wrong on this one. Holocaust denial (not matter how odious) should not be a crime--I don't think government (however benevolent) should be policing my thoughts. There is a certain "only in America" poignacy here that two Holocaust deniers seek assylum for their beliefs in the nation with the most Jews.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:21:35 -0800

@9: And the US law is asinine, for sure. There is no contradiction between supporting the extradition of two racist shitheads who tried to stir up hatred on the one hand, and opposing the extradition of men who face life in prison for selling the seeds of a house plant on the other.

Comment by Papayas

Papayas — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:51:03 -0800

Thank you for not linking the site.

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:24:00 -0800

Houseplant seeds? Diffenbachia? Ficus?

African violets?

Comment by Algernon

Algernon — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:44:51 -0800

The site you did link to for the badly reproduced R. Crumb cartoon is a holocaust denier trash site, worthy of Ahmadinijad. OTOH, the cartoon was great.