During the years 2010-2015 2,130 people were arrested between 2010 and 2015 for “sending by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter” – which is a criminal offence under section 127.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/02/social_media_arrest...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-man-jailed-over-facebook-sta... (2012)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7415233/Mother-arre... (2019)
There's a very low bar to being arrested in England. The arrest rate isn't important, it's the conviction rate that you need to be presenting. Also, the law is developing (because that's how a system with case law works) so you need to be showing what's happening now, not ten years ago.
That last link isn't a great example. She engaged in a long running campaign of harassment, using two twitter accounts to harass and defame someone, including leaking financial and medical information. There's a reason the Daily Mail isn't a reliable source for wikipedia. These conversations always seem to place the right of some cunt to behave like an utter cunt above the rights of all the people who have to interact with that person to be protected from protracted campaigns of harassment. The UK and EU sees protecting the rights of others, protecting them from harassment and defamation, to be a legitimate aim.
Here's the Crown Prosecution Service page for communications offences committed on social media: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/social-media-guideline...
Emphatically disagree. A slogan of totalitarian government is “the process is the punishment.” — no conviction necessary.
Being publicly arrested and held against your will, even for only 24 hours, is still a very significant punishment. If charges are filed and then later dropped, they can hold you longer or require you to post bail. It can cause you to miss work, especially if you can't make bail. Frivolous arrests are definitely a form of punishment without trial.
https://twitter.com/syptweet/status/1038891067381350401?s=20
See also: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/police-arresting-nine-peo...
> please report non-crime hate incidents,
> In addition to reporting hate crime, please report non-crime hate incidents, which can include things like offensive or insulting comments, online, in person or in writing. Hate will not be tolerated in South Yorkshire. Report it and put a stop to it #HateHurtsSY
In addition to reporting hate crime...
Anyway, it's quite easy to verify that hate speech is illegal in the UK. Plenty of people have been prosecuted for it.
"Hate will not be tolerated in South Yorkshire" is also a disturbing sentence because hate is a totally normal, and healthy emotion to have. I hate the taste of parsley. I hate racists. I hate being caught in the rain with a flat tire, but more of all I hate the idea that the police would do these kinds of things.
https://caldronpool.com/teenager-with-aspergers-placed-under...