If he'd made an offensive film about Islam he'd be a hero of free speech

BBC NEWS

A teenager has been found guilty of posting an offensive Facebook message following the deaths of six British soldiers in Afghanistan.

Azhar Ahmed, 19, of Ravensthorpe, West Yorkshire, was charged with sending a grossly offensive communication.

He told Huddersfield Magistrates Court he accepted the message had been "unacceptable" but had denied it was "grossly offensive".

The judge said his comments were "derogatory" and "inflammatory". [...]

The offensive message, which said "all soldiers should die and go to hell", was posted by Ahmed just two days later on 8 March.

Ahmed told the court he was only trying to make his point that many other deaths in Afghanistan were being ignored and added he had no idea it would cause so much upset.

He said he replied with apologies to many people who commented on his Facebook page and when some told him they had lost relatives in Afghanistan he realised how serious it was.

"That's when I realised it was unacceptable for them to see something so upsetting and distressing, to write something like that," he added.

STRAIGHTENING OUT THE YELLOW SHIRTS

Burlington Farmers Market Attempts (and fails) to Ban Political Speech in City Hall Park

Pillow Fight Update II: Stern Words

Worth repeating, it is still really about power and control in Burlington. The authorities give the police the role of maintaining not just civil but political order (because the two are often linked). How can something done "all in good fun" be threatening the civil order? It became political when Darin Cassler was led off to be arrested. Although the charges were dropped against Mr Cassler, an increased threat to political order worries the authorities to no end.

Pillow Talk

Following up on yesterday's post, there's more coverage on Friday's Pillow Flash-Mob Action from Eva Sollberger in Blurt. Green Mountain Daily reports that Church Street is safe once again. Here is Eva's video:



COMMENT: All of this is really about power and control. In this country (and in this city), the authorities give the police the role of maintaining not just civil but political order (because the two are often linked - witness the arrests of Burlington anti-war protesters back in 2007). How can something done "all in good fun" be threatening the civil order? As a participant stated on Eva Sollberger's video, it became political in Burlington when the organiser was led off to be arrested. An increasing threat to political order worries the authorities to no end. Burlington has become increasingly uptight, but as a commenter on my post yesterday writes "They can always do some pillow fighting down on Brattleboro. They won't get arrested."

FREE PHILIP RIZK

An Egyptian-German journalist/activist, Philip Rizk, has been kidnapped by Egyptian secret police.

He previously worked on aid projects with Canon Andrew White, special envoy to the Middle East for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Eyewitnesses said he was bundled into a white van with no licence plates, which then sped off.

The German embassy has been informed of his detention and is trying to locate him.

Lenin's Tomb has more information and news update links. Helena Cobban knows Mr Rizk and has written

I don't know how much aid the German government gives the Egyptian government. But I imagine it's a lot. Egypt is the top recipient of US aid after Israel, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Why should the governments of any democracies give aid to a government that treats nonviolent social activists like Philip or thousands of others also detained in Egypt without any hint of due process as harshly as this?

There is a Facebook group in support of Mr Rizk, which I've joined.

THE SILENCING OF DISSENT

Craig Murray:- We all need to take a step back and see what kind of society we have become; in particular the Stalinist silencing of voices of dissent - even within our universities.

I have seen my past server host pull this website and my publisher pull my book, in attempts to silence my dissenting opinions. We overcame those, but they should never have happened. Now I have been telephoned by the University of Cambridge to be told that security staff will physically prevent me from entering the University of Cambridge to give a talk there.

What have we become? I have responded thus and am now off to Cambridge.

Dear Dr Elliott,

As I told you on the telephone, I was invited some weeks ago to speak this evening in a debate on the merits of the Afghan War. I learnt this morning that plans had changed due to a student occupation of a university building over University policy towards Gaza, and as the organisers of my debate were involved in the occupation, I was requested to switch my talk to the Law Faculty. I agreed to do so.

I then heard from you that the authorities had decided to exclude non-University members from the law faculty, and should I arrive to give my talk I will not be admitted; and indeed be physically prevented from entering.

I have given this some thought, and I have decided that the threat not to admit me to the University building is unwarranted.

As you may realise, I am Rector of the University of Dundee (and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster School of Law). I am not personally intending to occupy your building for longer than it takes to give a talk, and certainly intend to cause no damage. I am not a health and safety risk.

I am invited to lecture at Universities and other prestigious institutions worldwide; normally universities are urging me to come, not seeking to turn me away! I understand that a number of people are looking forward to hearing me this evening. To threaten to exclude me is a denial of freedom of speech which I find very peculiar behaviour for the University of Cambridge.

Student occupations are hardly a new phenomenon, and normally can easily be resolved through amicable negotiation. I was quite astonished to learn that Cambridge University had responded by attempting to starve the students out. To try also to ban a guest speaker seems to me likely to inflame and prolong, rather than resolve, the dispute.

It seems to me that the easiest way out of the current difficulty of my visit is for you to extend to me an invitation to speak this evening on behalf of the Faculty.

With all best wishes,

Craig Murray

A HUGE STEP BACKWARD

TALK LEFT: New FBI Rules Make It Easier to Spy on Innocent Americans

TUTU IS OFF TO LAKE WOBEGON COUNTRY AFTER ALL

This news, from MadPriest --

Less than a week after it was revealed that Tutu's appearance at the University of St. Thomas was nixed over comments deemed offensive to Jews, the university's president announced Wednesday he had made a mistake by disinviting Tutu.

"I have wrestled with what is the right thing to do in this situation, and I have concluded that I made the wrong decision earlier this year not to invite the archbishop," the Rev. Dennis Dease said. "Although well intentioned, I did not have all of the facts and points of view, but now I do."

Archbishop Tutu Banned for Criticism of Israel

Muzzle Watch Archbishop Tutu barred by U. of St Thomas because of criticism of Israel 3 October 2007 -

Rumors have been circulating for some time that Archbishop Desmond Tutu was banned by the University of St Thomas in Minnesota because of statements he made that some consider anti-Semitic. Now it’s official: winning the Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t protect you from charges of anti-Semitism if you criticize Israeli human rights violations. Neither, apparently, does being one of the most compelling voices for social justice in the world today, or even getting an honorary degree from and giving the commencement address at Brandeis.

Read all of Archbishop Tutu barred by U. of St Thomas because of criticism of Israel

All Saints Church, Pasadena demands IRS apology after agency drops investigation

Episcopal News Service

After receiving a letter announcing the closing of a two-year old Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examination, All Saints Church, Pasadena, California, announced September 23 that it has referred what it called "the numerous procedural and legal errors of the exam" to the agency's commissioner and demanded more information about its decision.

The parish received an IRS letter September 10 saying the federal tax-collection agency had closed its examination without challenging the parish's tax-exempt status and without a threatened audit ever taking place, according to a news release posted on the parish's website.

However, the letter said without explanation that the IRS had concluded that a sermon preached in October 2004 constituted intervention in the 2004 presidential election.

"While we are pleased that the IRS examination is finally over, the IRS has failed to explain its conclusion regarding the single sermon at issue," the Rev. J. Edwin Bacon Jr., All Saints' rector, said in the release. "Synagogues, mosques, and churches across America have no more guidance about the IRS rules now than when we started this process over two long years ago. The impact of this letter leaves a chilling effect cast over the freedom of America's pulpits to preach core moral values. We have no choice but to demand clarification on this matter with the IRS."

Read the full ENS story.

Lauren-Glenn Davitian Receives Free Speech Award

Way to go Lauren-Glenn!

Spanish Police raid over controversial cartoon

GUARDIAN - Spanish police were ordered to raid newsagents across the country yesterday to remove copies of a satirical magazine deemed to have offended the country's royal family by publishing a cartoon of the heir to the throne having sex.

The cartoon on the front cover of El Jueves magazine showed Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia in the midst of an ardent session of love-making.

A speech bubble issuing from the prince's mouth makes a joke about the amount of work done by the royal family and a government decision to give families €2,500 (£1,680) for each new child.

"Do you realise what it will mean if you get pregnant?" the prince asks. "This is going to be the closest thing to work that I've ever done."

A judge at Spain's national court yesterday ordered police to impound all copies of the magazine, arguing that it contravened a law that prevents Spaniards from being "rude or insulting" about King Juan Carlos or his family. It's all here...

I don't see much of the Western or US press or liberal blogs covering this story, though the Free Press hid it in some short world news stories in the back pages of today's print edition. But in an internet search, I found that the cartoon-in-question is now for sale on eBay.

ejh at The Tomb - It is all right for cartoons to risk provoking hatred against Muslims but it is not all right for cartoons to risk provoking laughter against princes. Read the rest... there's more to this story than just the free speech issue.