Thursday 15 July 2010

It Seems A Private Company Has A Better Grasp Of Liberty...

...than our new Prime Minister:
Facebook has rebuffed a call by David Cameron for the removal of tributes to the gunman Raoul Moat which have been left on the social networking site.

The Prime Minister condemned the praise being paid to the "callous murderer" yesterday and instructed Downing Street to raise its concerns with the company over the web page of the "RIP Raoul Moat You Legend" group.
And FaceBook said: 'So you're offended? So f*****g what?' Or at least, words to that effect:
But last night the site replied: "Facebook is a place where people can express their views and discuss things in an open way as they can and do in many other places, and as such we sometimes find people discussing topics others may find distasteful.

"However, that is not a reason in itself to stop a debate from happening. We have 26 million people on Facebook in the UK, each of which has their own opinion, and they are entitled to express their views on Facebook as long as their comments do not violate our terms."
Good for them!

8 comments:

Furor Teutonicus said...

But they are so fast their arses catch fire to ban "anti muslim" sites.

So much for free speech.

Chuckles said...

I think that translates as, 'You can say anything you like as long as it doesn't offend US!'

But hey, if it annoys the righteous.....

Anonymous said...

I think 'Dave' and the rest of them should shut the f*ck up, take a deep breath and look at things from another perspective. Surely Moaty's facebook obit. page underpins his statements that Britain is Broken, that there is a significant minority of complete f*ckwits in an ever growing VERY shallow gene pool?
Now I'm off to my local JET petrol station to buy some ACME roadsiode shrine tributes to send oop naarth!

WV = silygiza...ha ha!

opsimath said...

Wasn't there a saying about free speech, along the lines that it will always offend someone?

It's almost a definition, surely?

As in 'Some people aren't 'gay'. Get over it. ?

English Viking said...

What Furor said.

Anonymous said...

I would defend people's right to free speach and have grave reservations about attempts to close the Facebook page but... surely this is a sign of the type of country we are living in, where even comedians have to be careful what jokes they tell, just in case it offends some racial group or other? I am deeply opposed to people uttering racial epithets and, quite rightly in my view, those who express such opinions are ignorant morons, but surely, in a free society, they should be able to express their views? If you follow this logic, all legislation that protects racial groups, persons with a disability, the old etc. should be repealed and everyone should have the right to express whatever feelings they have on any subject. I don't think I would like that, somehow - it would feel wrong. As to the actual subject matter, whilst the person setting up this Facebook page had the right to do so, my question would be WHY? In Mr. Moat's case, he appeared to be an ignorant, violent psychopath, with absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever, violent to his children, violent to his partner and everyone intimately connected with him appeared to be afraid of him, so who in their right mind would consider that this steroid enhanced neanderthal was a hero, deserving of such worship? It seems that I am living in a very strange country when some amongst us venerate such a 'celebrity'. The world is a much better place without the likes of the awful Mr. Moat in it. IDP

Dabble said...

Anon - any comment on free speech that contains sentences such as "I would defend people's right to free speach (sic).............but", by their very nature do not defend true free speech.

JuliaM said...

"But they are so fast their arses catch fire to ban "anti muslim" sites."

True, thry are extremely selective.

"Surely Moaty's facebook obit. page underpins his statements that Britain is Broken, that there is a significant minority of complete f*ckwits in an ever growing VERY shallow gene pool?"

Indeed. A good example to point out in future.

"...surely this is a sign of the type of country we are living in, where even comedians have to be careful what jokes they tell, just in case it offends some racial group or other?"

It certainly is. And I can't see iDave saying anything about that.

"...any comment on free speech that contains sentences such as "I would defend people's right to free speach (sic).............but", by their very nature do not defend true free speech."

True. Very true.