In Britain, Police Arrest Twitter And Facebook Users If They Make Anti-Muslim Statements

British police are arresting people in the middle of the night if they have made racist or anti-Muslim comments on Twitter following the murder of a soldier by two Muslims in Woolwich, London.

Three men have so far been taken into custody for using Twitter and Facebook to criticize Muslims.

In the Woolwich attack, Lee Rigby, a drummer in the Royal Regiment of Fusliers, was run down in a car and then hacked and stabbed to death by two men with knives and a cleaver. They told a man video recording the scene that it was vengeance for the killings of Muslims by the British Army.

One man has been charged with "malicious communications" on Facebook, the Daily Mail reports.

Two others have been arrested under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. The police are now arresting people based on mere speech in social media, a detective said in a statement to the press:

'The men were arrested under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. Our inquiries into these comments continue.

'These comments were directed against a section of our community. Comments such as these are completely unacceptable and only cause more harm to our community in Bristol.

'People should stop and think about what they say on social media before making statements as the consequences could be serious.'

The arrests come at the behest of British Muslims, who fear a backlash against them following the death of Rigby, The New York Times says:

The police and Muslim groups have said that there have been anti-Muslim episodes in many parts of the country, the most common involving derogatory messages on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

A number of arrests have been made, with criminal charges being leveled in some cases under laws against inciting racial or religious hatred, and Muslim community leaders have reported rising concern among the estimated 2.5 million Muslims in Britain.

Two men were detained in the middle of the night after they expressed anger at Muslims on Twitter. The Independent quotes police as saying:

"We began inquiries into the comments and at around 3.20am two men, aged 23 and 22, were detained at two addresses in Bristol.

"The men were arrested under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. Our inquiries into these comments continue."

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Sounds like people from Britain aren't even allowed to express an opinion on a group of people (many of which said group want to blow Britain up). Unless of course, that opinion is "immigration is great!". Certainly makes you think twice about the censored opinions you hear from folks in Britain.

I know Britain isn't famous for it's free speech, but the level of authoritarianism that's happening there is simply mind-boggling. The USA is one of the few places in the world where you can speak your mind (without threatening people) and the government won't put you in trouble for it. If we had a law like this in the USA, I'd consider it to be a mark of downfall.

What say you Political Gamers? Should people be arrested for expressing opinions?

@KHAndAnime:

It's a double standard logic. Try to express an opinion then get pissed off when someone says an offensive opinion against you. Like the Trump supporters. They call people snowflakes when someone gets offended for mocking a Muslim then they themselves get offended when someone mocks Trump.

Might as well take the bottle away from both babies.

It must suck being you. Sad.

Not a secret that the UK has less than free speech.

To me it depends on what those "anti-Muslim" comments are. If they are threats then yes, I suppose they need to be acted upon but I would expect the same kind of scrutiny if any other religion was the target of said threats as well.

Still, I see plenty of daily anti-Muslim FB comments on the Mail's comment section and nothing seem to come of it so apparently whoever is checking them isn't being very thorough. Not to mention that I have trouble taking anything the Mail reports at face value; don't forget that we have the Mail to thank for brilliant journalism such as this:

May and Sturgeon are meeting? This is big! Quick, write an article about what they were wearing and who has the sexiest legs!

I get that Trump supporters aren't exactly intellectuals or anything, but wonder if the op realizes that all those links are from 2013.

If they make death threats then yes.

I believe encouraging violence and/or wish "accidents" (with severe injuries or death as a results) towards any group also breaks some laws.

So you would be completely ok with an ISIS supporter encouraging people to commit terrorist acts as long as he personally never presses the detonator switch? Charles Manson is innocent as well, he never personally killed anyone he just used his freedom of speech to tell people to kill people.

Recruiting people into terrorist or other criminal groups is a crime.

Indeed it does.

Pst your analogy is poor. Conspiring and planning are crimes as well as the act.

That was my point. If recruiting people into ISIS is a crime, why shouldn't recruiting people into right wing terror groups be a crime?

The people arrested for their anti-islam posts where conspiring and planning acts of violence.

I would say that it depends on exactly what those comments are. I'm not necessarily opposed to people being held accountable to what they say online, or anywhere else for that matter.

LOL I just saw that.

@korvus: whassup Pedro ! How you been doing ?

Hey! Here I was wondering if anybody even remembered who I was and you even remember my name :p I'm good, thank you. Yourself? It's been a while!

The U.K. has turned into a nutty, anti-free-speech mess, hasn't it?

Not yet, but the conservatives are trying.

Seems a bit more even now.

OP bullshit again. People weren't arrested for making anti Muslim posts, they were in trouble for inciting violence which is also a crime in the US.

How could one forget you pedro ^^ How's the kid?

I bet they wouldn't do a damn thing if someone was anti-christian or racist against white people.

@korvus: of course you are remembered. I'm fine. How's your kid ? Man they grow fast !

If your opinions are bigoted, racist, and even worse incite violence... it's not covered by "free speech".

These are the same folks who claim a sports caster who expresses bigoted and racist views is being censored and having their free speech rights violated when fired, which is just silly, and shows an incredibly shallow understanding of just what free speech means.

Free speech doesn't mean people have to listen to you, it doesn't mean people owe you a platform from which to spew hatred, and it doesn't mean you cannot face any social consequences for anything you say.

Of these the only one that is not covered as legal by the first amendment is the incitement of violence.

You can like this, you can not like it, but its a fact. Freedom of speech simply means you have the right to say what you want in the public square, on public land, on tax paid land, and in your own home or those who grant you the same right in theirs, and you cannot be arrested or face prosecution for doing this. Now obviously when you get into the private sector and are at say... a job, your employer can impose speech restrictions. That said, youre still protected when it comes to the law. You can be fired, but you cannot be imprisoned.

As for Britain, i dont know the laws there. I believe they still have blasphemy laws on the books and if im correct its what Islam pressured them into using in some of these instances. If this is the case, its sad and its something they need change. When will nonbelievers who have to read in a paper every single day, horrific, inhuman acts commuted by the religious in the name of god, and who merely want to speak on how disgusting these acts are, get some kind of legal protection for that speech. A cartoonist can say something that "offends" the religious, the religious murder a cartoonist, and you still cannot comment on the disgusting nature of these acts without having the religious gunning for you as well as your own government.... sounds legit.

Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing you don't put it in a fruit salad. Apparently according thinking the left has all the intelligence. The only problem you don't know how to use it, thus it is wasted.

Ahuh, another one of those "highly intelligent" conservatives we all hear so much about chiming in on a 4 year old bullshit article. Jesus...

@KHAndAnime: Just let UK to be another Turkey with it's secular vs Islam conflicts.