Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Free speech takes another hit in NZ

posted by FatPhil on Friday March 29 2019, @09:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the Think-what-you-like dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Free speech has potentially been taken down another peg in NZ with a woman arrested for a Facebook post about the Christchurch shootings. The woman has been arrested on suspicion of "inciting racial disharmony" after a message was posted to her Facebook page. She faces a maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment or a NZ$7000 fine and living in a society that condemns free speech. However, given the recent ruling in Australia that 'Muslim' is not a 'race' she may get off given that the law she is accused of breaking is of one who “publishes or distributes written matter which is threatening, abusive, or insulting” to other people . This means that it may very well be legal at this time to insult people of a specific religion.

Decades ago they relied on neighbors to find subversives; now they just check social media.

[Ed.: The above is a paraphrase of the linked-to story, not a direct quote, and with submitter's editorialising left in. -- FP (honouring people's right to free speech ;-) )]

Also covered by the NZ Herald.

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Free speech takes another hit in NZ | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 118 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday March 30 2019, @12:28AM (7 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday March 30 2019, @12:28AM (#822135) Journal

    ...you do realize autoimmune disease is completely different from viral infection, don't you? The whole point of my saying it's autoimmune is that this maniac is causing the NZ government to turn on its people's freedoms and eat itself. That has squat to do with Islam.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Interesting=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   3  

  • (Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Saturday March 30 2019, @01:04AM (6 children)

    by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Saturday March 30 2019, @01:04AM (#822146) Journal

    Not quite squat. In this case Islam is a McGuffin. At the very best it's a cluster of cues which might be mistaken as symptoms but is really unrelated to the disease process that's causing the host to destroy itself, but I think that analogy isn't quite right either.

    --
    This sig for rent.

    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by deimtee on Saturday March 30 2019, @01:36AM (5 children)

      by deimtee (3272) on Saturday March 30 2019, @01:36AM (#822152) Journal

      I think the metaphor you are looking for is allergen.

      --
      If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30 2019, @02:25AM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30 2019, @02:25AM (#822181)

        That is an analogy not a metaphor.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30 2019, @02:59AM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30 2019, @02:59AM (#822194)

          +/- 0: pedantic

          • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30 2019, @07:29AM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30 2019, @07:29AM (#822255)

            Are we sure it is not an allegory, or a simile? Perhaps a counter-supposal?