Tower block fire - london

I think the ability of the likes of the Daily Mail to control the minds and emotions of so many is more worrying than a few tools burning a cardboard tower block. It’s power comes from the media seeking to make money from swarms of people they know can’t resist the constant opportunity to be angry at the acts of others, acts that are often creations of the media.

I dont think this is media creation but it is media elevation to drive footfall. It’s massively disproportionate.
 
Minusorange said:
Pretty poor taste but it's done on a day that celebrates a terrorist trying to blow up the houses of parliament and used to involve burning an effigy of said terrorist because, why not ?
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Just for historical precision, Fawkes wasn't trying to blow up Parliament per se. He targeted specifically the House of Lords in an attempt on the life of King James I who was due to visit that day. He also wasn't the leader of the plot, so much as the poor schmuck who was left sitting underneath the House of Lords, guarding the barrels.
 
Malevolence said:
Will the police now be scouring social media and hunting down all those who wore Jimmy Savile costumes to fancy dress parties? I mean, child rape isn't something to be joked about, is it?
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I work in IT I like my call logging software to be "in order", I bet cops are same... Open a case about a car being broken into... that sucker is going to be with you for weeks... likely no arrest... open a case from social media.. well.... you already got the names, address', proof... hardly any effort required... that just got 5 evil people slam dunk..

99.999% of those people legitimately offended will never have known about this if the media / cops were not involved... its not like they uncovered a pedo ring / drugs gang... the cops / media have literally thrown petrol on the non existent fire then flicked a patch into it..
 
We're now as bad as third world countries like Pakistan, arresting people over speech because we're scared of a public reaction. Also did many people get arrested for mocking the 9/11 attacks?
 
The guys who did this tasteless bonfire are scumbags, but I'm a bit alarmed they have been arrested.

BBC" said:
The men have been arrested under section 4a of the Public Order Act 1986, which covers intentional "harassment, alarm or distress" caused via the use of "threatening, abusive or insulting" words or signs.

Offences committed on a private residence where a person "had no reason to believe" it would be "heard or seen by a person outside that or any other dwelling" are protected from prosecution under the act.
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I do wonder whether this event was what the framers of the Public Order Act 1986 had in mind, I do worry that the law is being used to prosecute bad taste, political opinion etc. Using legislation probably intended to prevent "real" harm. The constant ratchetting downwards of the level of behaviour that now constitutes an offence under law is a worrying trend and will invariably lead to a reaction as people become annoyed with the ridiculous culture of offence-finding/taking.
 
What an absolutely laughable waste of police resources. I urge anyone feeling outraged by this to the point of calling it a crime to take a step back for a moment and really consider why you feel the way you do.
 
Nasher said:
They will spend loads of tax payers money chasing this and it won't go anywhere, because no laws have been broken.
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Well they've handed themselves in and been arrested. There's always an offense for something, and I suspect the police will try quite hard on this one.
They're also not kids, which is even more disturbing.Some are in their 50's.
 
stuman said:
How about crass jokes? A fine for that too?
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is this not a crass joke?
People are calling for imprisonment under race hate laws. I thought a 20 quid fine and don't do it again seemed to make more sense in a sea of nonsense.

It might be nice to live in a society where we can say anything about anyone and we should deal with it, I would truly love that, but we don't and the reality is the 1984 path we (the UK) are going down. It's not going to get better. So instead of putting Nazi saluting dog owners, poppy burners and Freaks that like to mock the death of 77 people on Facebook, or whatever, have a standard fixed fine penalty of a few quid called "try not to be such an insensitive c*** tax"

Oh but free speach! Who decides what is offensive blah blah... Just dont be a c word its really easy.
 
PlacidCasual said:
The guys who did this tasteless bonfire are scumbags, but I'm a bit alarmed they have been arrested.

Offences committed on a private residence where a person "had no reason to believe" it would be "heard or seen by a person outside that or any other dwelling" are protected from prosecution under the act.
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If only they hadn't filmed it and put it on the internet. Nobody would even know....

Do I think they should be arrested? Not really.

But in a way, they've only got themselves to blame.
 
darkgen said:
Aye; it's the "publication" aspect they'll be done on. The advent of social media really has been the boon!
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Very likely you are correct. The Communications Act was intended for big broadcasters. However, in the age of Social Media everyone is a broadcaster and it has become a de facto anti-Free Speech law. IIRC, Count Dankula was done under the Communications Act because his (very poor) joke appeared online.
 
Having watched the full video I am more shocked to see so many people here just hand-waving this as nothing, no I am not full of rage over the video, but I certainly shake my head in disgust at what they did, it's vile, they are vile people, I don't think they should be arrested, but they posted it online so it's their own fault.

It isn't thought crime or whatever else you want to call it, it's really not hard to not be a piece of **** and post stuff like this online, if they had done this among their group of friends who obviously have no problem with it then so be it, but the minute you open pandora's box of social media you get what's coming to you, personally I would just allow for some good old fashioned justice of these people getting the **** kicked out of them.
 
I see Piers Morgan wants to name and shame them on TV, if their identities get known and they get a doing, so be it. I am sick of society making excuses for scum like this.
 
Zefan said:
What an absolutely laughable waste of police resources. I urge anyone feeling outraged by this to the point of calling it a crime to take a step back for a moment and really consider why you feel the way you do.
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I fear we may have gone too far for such sensible considered thought, but I wholeheartedly agree. The moment we start to push back on this constant media manipulation of what is important the better the world will become. This doesn't mean going to said media and making angry comments either, for that is them winning and winning big. It means not going there and not wasting your time consuming piffle and creating noise about it.

These people are idiots, they do no deserve your time for with that, they win. My mum would say "ignore those idiots" and we would because, they are not the Nazis' they are the local idiots and EVERYONE knows that. They will amount to nothing.
 
antijoke said:
Having watched the full video I am more shocked to see so many people here just hand-waving this as nothing, no I am not full of rage over the video, but I certainly shake my head in disgust at what they did, it's vile, they are vile people, I don't think they should be arrested, but they posted it online so it's their own fault.
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It was crass stupidity. It is the same crass stupidity which humanity has exhibited since its very conception. Social media has just brought these episodes directly in yours and everyone else’s homes who are willing to view it. This says more about consumption than common-sense alas. There is a third way ...
 
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