Societal Scapegoat or Guilty as Charged?

[Cinjin]

I wonder if a few of you Brits could shed a little more light on this subject.

I'm curious what the extent of the violence was that broke out and just how terror-some it actually was if at all.

This article says a little about the use of Facebook and social forums used in the coordination of crimes.

[Skeptic]

I don't think we know much more than anyone else.

David Cameron is an imbecile though and can't (or won't) see any deeper than what's right in front of him. Rather than tackle the root causes he chooses to decide that we magically have people in the country that would do this kind of thing (because of course it's all nature and not nurture) where we didn't before and that the method of communication is to blame.

[frankiej]

Well, the two guys who were sentenced to four years didn't cause any violence, they were just trying to get people to riot in an area, but failed.

And their are people who were rioting and looting who only had to serve a couple of months, or had to pay a fine and shit.

The whole way they are going about this is retarded if you ask me

[Napoléon]

Are you talking about the violence in general? If so it was pretty bad, all shops in Birmingham were closed by 4 oclock. Even in my area, which is about 30 minutes from the town centre.

I know some people got caught up in it, they reckoned it was pretty mad, there were just more people than police so the police couldn't do much to stop them from looting.

[frankiej]

It was fine up here in Bonnie Dundee.... In fact, it was fine in all of Scotland really, we all watched and laughed.

It was pretty bad, but giving someone 4 years for something they said online is ridiculous and unfair, and takes away from the seriousness of the crimes that would usually get 4 years.

If it was me, I would fight that sentence with all I have.

[Tiberius]

Convicting anyone for something they've said goes against freedom of speech in my book.

[Napoléon]

Convicting anyone for something they've said goes against freedom of speech in my book.

Depends if it's in relation to a crime really, if you can see that they are conspiring to commit an act and that they are a threat to other people due to what they say then why should that person be able to get away with it?

[frankiej]

Convicting anyone for something they've said goes against freedom of speech in my book.

I would agree with you there, sir.

I believe in absolute free speech, so whenever something like this happens I am always raging...even if they are a couple of morons.

[Jaysyn]

Convicting anyone for something they've said goes against freedom of speech in my book.

So you think Dennis Markuze shouldn't have been arrested then? After all, "them's just words", right?

[frankiej]

I just don't think you can punish someone for simply saying something.

Even if it is extreme