Human Rights group oppose anti-sectarian legislation!

[Govan Front Antz 15]

http://www.takealiberty.blogspot.com/

Alex Salmond’s proposed new ‘anti-sectarian’ laws

Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) has launched a campaign against Alex Salmond’s proposed new ‘anti-sectarian’ laws. A statement and petition (see below) is being circulated around the UK to challenge what Stuart Waiton, from Take a Liberty (Scotland), believes is, ‘an almost unbelievably reactionary and authoritarian proposal’, being put forward by the Scottish government.

The statement reads,

We believe that introducing a law to imprison people for up to five years because of offensive sectarian chanting or online comments is extreme and illiberal.

Signatories so far include.

Stuart Baird, Scottish Secondary School Teacher, Rangers fan and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.

Dr Carlton Brick, Sociology of Sport, West of Scotland University, co-author Key Concepts in Sports Studies.

Eamonn Butler MA PhD, Director Adam Smith Institute, author of Milton Friedman: A Concise Guide to the ideas and influence of the Free-Market Economist.

Dolan Cummings, cultural commentator and contributing author of It's Rangers for Me?

Stephen Field, author of Prison Law Index: The Definitive A-Z Index of Prison Law.

Dr Chris Gilligan, Senior Lecturer Sociology, University of the West of Scotland, editor, Northern Ireland Ten Years After the Agreement.

Dr Donncha Marron, Sociology Lecturer, Robert Gordon University and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.

Tom Miers, Editor Free Society

Brian Monteith; former MSP, political columnist and writer.

Steven Purdie, Principle Teacher Humanities, Calderhead High School, Celtic fan and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.

Kevin Rooney, teacher, writer and Celtic season ticket holder.

Jonathan Simon, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, visiting professor of law, University of Edinburgh, and author of Governing through Crime.

Dr Craig Smith, Scottish based moral philosopher.

Dr Stuart Waiton, FRSA, Sociology and Criminology Lecturer, University of Abertay Dundee , Co-founder of Take a Liberty ( Scotland ).

Graham Walker Professor of Political History, Queen’s University of Belfast .

Sign the petition http://www.petitiononline.com/1967a/petition.html

[Martin Luther 53]

A letter from one of the aforementioned on the list.

the best logical rational and common sense opinion I have heard on this joke of a law. Pitty the MSP dont share his views.

Letter: It's just rudeness

Published Date: 18 June 2011

Take a Liberty (Scotland) has launched a letter of opposition against the proposed new laws that could see people imprisoned for up to five years for sectarian chants or blogs. My own opinion is that if this becomes law it will be the most authoritarian piece of legislation in recent history.

Talk of "tolerance" by the Scottish Government (your report, 17 June) masks an outrageous level of intolerance towards football fans who are somehow blamed for everything from domestic and street violence to binge drinking, sectarianism and racism.

Laws already exist to lock people up for acts of violence, but magically to link singing songs or writing rubbish online with serious criminal acts is irrational and reactionary.

Tolerance, it appears, today, means not tolerating views we don't like, or more to the point, not even tolerating football fans throwing tasteless insults at one another before they troop off home to their Catholic wives, Protestant pals and multi-denominational workmates.

Even if sectarianism was a big problem, could this be resolved by banning what people think, say or write? Should hatred even be illegal? If so then lock me up as Mr Salmond is quickly rising to the top of my list!

Alex Salmond talks about tackling prejudice, however, the real and more worrying prejudice that I see is coming from the authorities towards ordinary people who simply lack the politically correct etiquette that he would like to enforce upon them.

Singing and blogging, being rude and indeed offensive is not the same as stabbing, beating or organising a pogrom and in a free society they must be tolerated. And let's face it - most of the time the chanting and blogging is little more than a form of football name calling. In all this talk of violence it is worth noting that being locked up in prison for five years for saying, singing or writing something that someone doesn't like is a form of violence that is both barbaric and astronomically intolerant.

(Dr) Stuart Waiton

University of Abertay

Dundee

[wearethepeople1 3,897]

Thank fuck someone with some common sense has had the balls to speak out about this nonsense.

Salmond and his cronies are a disgrace.

He bullshits all the time then, brings out the odd "patriotic" broadcast and the odd speech about a independent Scotland and most clowns up here buy it!!

Fat ride that he is

[soulboy 2,520]

Someone will take this to the european court of human rights and it will be sooner rather than later

[HooliGoon 1]

If this disturbing law goes into effect communism is on it's way. They tell us how much we can drink, Where we can smoke and now what we can sing. The Jurno's are te blame for over exaggeration the "sectarian" issue. Look at the Netherlands. They sing gas the Jews at one another yet we sing cheeky at best songs and we're the scum of the earth(according te them). Sad day when the over offended run the country. Thank f*ck some one is saying something.

[deleteduser1 169]

Yes ,we all know there is a sectarian problem in Scotland but the government seem to be using the sectarian issue as an excuse to abuse wield their powers against our civil liberties and in particular our hard earned right to freedom of speech.

[Martin Luther 53]

If there is a good thing that is coming out of this is the "90 min bigot" who says FTP without even thinking about it at an old firm game and then forgetting about it and leaving behind at the game. Is beginning to reevaluate why he is saying it thinking about it and expressing his view in a more constructive articulate way.

It wont matter anyway you will still get 5 years up yer hole in Bar L.

[TheBluebells 6,898]

Yes ,we all know there is a sectarian problem in Scotland but the government seem to be using the sectarian issue as an excuse to abuse wield their powers against our civil liberties and in particular our hard earned right to freedom of speech.

Classic technique here, remove civil liberties under the guise of something else ie. helping 'solve a problem'.

In this case exaggerate the sectarian 'problem' and use it as an excuse to remove rights and liberties.

I am glad it is being opposed but i can't see it changing despite it being such a disgrace.

[Martin Luther 53]

The day after the Reichstag fire Hitler asked for and received from President Hindenburg the Reichstag Fire Decree, signed into law by Hindenburg using Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution. The Reichstag Fire Decree suspended most civil liberties in Germany and was used by the Nazis to ban publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause.

[krissg910 110]

signed.

thank god there are people out there who wont lie down to this rediculous over reaction to a bit of handbags during an old firm match.

[Martin Luther 53]

Has anybody been to spain recently I hear its just like Francos regime after the government knee jerked in the new draconian laws after they couple of el classico matches.

[TheBluebells 6,898]

Has anybody been to spain recently I hear its just like Francos regime after the government knee jerked in the new draconian laws after they couple of el classico matches.

The removal of civil rights and liberties is evident worldwide but if you want to see it most widespread in the 'free' world, have a look at America.

Although that is less to do with sectarianism but same idea in terms of rights removal.

[Martin Luther 53]

I looked at the petition and I was surprised that these draconian new laws that will effect everybody in Scotland in their day to day lives that there where not a lot if any O'Mallys and O'Reillys.

I mean come come One Scotland many cultures and all that lets stand up together as one and fight these draconian new laws and change it with important ones like 5 years for carrying a knife or being a pedophile.

[deleteduser1 169]

The removal of civil rights and liberties is evident worldwide but if you want to see it most widespread in the 'free' world, have a look at America.

Although that is less to do with sectarianism but same idea in terms of rights removal.

Agreed.

To be honest I never thought I would see the day our government would threaten to jail someone for 5 YEARS for making sectarian comments.

I thought that was the sort of thing that happened in China or Russia or some tinpot dictatorship. Not one of the most civilised and educated countries in the world like our own.

It's getting to the stage where nothing would surprise me when it comes to the erosion of our civil liberties and if more people don't stand up and speak out against this legislation you really have to ask yourself where will it all end?

[TheBluebells 6,898]

Agreed.

To be honest I never thought I would see the day our government would threaten to jail someone for 5 YEARS for making sectarian comments.

I thought that was the sort of thing that happened in China or Russia or some tinpot dictatorship. Not one of the most civilised and educated countries in the world like our own.

It's getting to the stage where nothing would surprise me when it comes to the erosion of our civil liberties and if more people don't stand up and speak out against this legislation you really have to ask yourself where will it all end?

These days we never thought we'd see are frighteningly becoming the norm these days.

The thing is Marty, standing up against these laws often results in losing out anyway and/or removal of more rights.

This law will be abused to cover far more than silly sectarian comments, this is ripe for abuse this law.

[MosesMcNeil 1,664]

Yes ,we all know there is a sectarian problem in Scotland but the government seem to be using the sectarian issue as an excuse to abuse wield their powers against our civil liberties and in particular our hard earned right to freedom of speech.

Given the scale of our 'problem', this bill seems intent on assaulting a peanut with a hydraulic sledge-hammer. What next for Salmond's brave new world? Will he release an ICBM on any constituency who refuses to elect an SNP candidate? It would certainly be in keeping with this outrageous attack on our rights to freedom of expression.

Up to five years for a variety of so-called Offensive Behaviour in Football and Threatening Communications? Including singing? Who'll be the judge who presides over the sentencing of the first member of the tartan army for the loving way they reference the English? Or, perhaps, the first Fenian Taig Tarrier Ethnic Irish descendant singing songs of peace with charitable, broad-minded lyrics such as: 'soon there will be no protestants at all'?

You can fuck off, Salmond. It's my right to say it.

[Getstiffed 8,863]

Yes ,we all know there is a sectarian problem in Scotland but the government seem to be using the sectarian issue as an excuse to abuse wield their powers against our civil liberties and in particular our hard earned right to freedom of speech.

The only power they possess is whatever we allow.

It seems that trinkets and shinny things have taken precedent over keeping OUR elected officials in check.

The guy in your pic would agree mate.

[Getstiffed 8,863]

Classic technique here, remove civil liberties under the guise of something else ie. helping 'solve a problem'.

In this case exaggerate the sectarian 'problem' and use it as an excuse to remove rights and liberties.

I am glad it is being opposed but i can't see it changing despite it being such a disgrace.

The term your looking for is "false flag".

The solutions to the problems THEY create are always the loss of rights.

Until we say no of course.

[Getstiffed 8,863]

The day after the Reichstag fire Hitler asked for and received from President Hindenburg the Reichstag Fire Decree, signed into law by Hindenburg using Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution. The Reichstag Fire Decree suspended most civil liberties in Germany and was used by the Nazis to ban publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause.

After the Berlin wall came down a lot of documentation from the Nazi regime were recovered.

Amongst those were details of how Hitler burned down the Reichstag with the express intention of blaming it on his political enemies.

We've seen such things in recent times aswell.

Its called "False Flag". Special forces captains are actually handed a MANUAL on how to carry these kinds of things out. Came out with some other freedom of info act stuff.

[IronRangerMN 2]

We believe that introducing a law to imprison people for up to five years because of offensive sectarian chanting or online comments is extreme and illiberal.

Realizing that this isn't the context in which this word is used, it's still rather clear from my point of view in the States that this law is indeed quite 'liberal'.

In fact, it's the way the modern left reacts to anything with which it disagrees -- squelch free speech.

I don't condone sectarianism, but denying free speech rights is not the way to defeat it.

However, you keep electing the left. This is what you get.

[BEE 4,880]

People will get dismissed for signing this, a few of my lecturers on there - don't think the uni would be too happy with the way they've identified themselves.

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

People will get dismissed for signing this, a few of my lecturers on there - don't think the uni would be too happy with the way they've identified themselves.

And so it goes on........

[caseyjones 3,009]

It would be great to see Whyte get behind this, but I doubt that it will happen as the flak from the media would be intense.

[Govan Front Antz 15]

People will get dismissed for signing this, a few of my lecturers on there - don't think the uni would be too happy with the way they've identified themselves.

This is exactly what us needed...academics highlighting the stupidity of this legislation. Plus if they are dismissed I'm sure an unfair dismissal case would be filed.

[deleteduser1 169]

The only power they possess is whatever we allow.

It seems that trinkets and shinny things have taken precedent over keeping OUR elected officials in check.

The guy in your pic would agree mate.

I posted this shocker of a story in the Debating Chamber last week but I feel it is relevant given the way things are heading within our own society at the moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epGW4eaFOuE&feature=player_embedded