Man, 19, cuffed after burning Remembrance poppy pic is Facebooked - Polidicks

[QUOTE=laserguided;38420426]The arrest was stupid, but burning a poppy is an absolutely idiotic way of expressing your views, especially on 11/11. Effectively saying all the men who died in the wars over the years are worthless and what they did deserves to be burned or forgotten.[/QUOTE] If anything the opposite is true, I can assure you those men died becasue they wanted to preserve freedom not add a lot of meaning to a flower. Being arrested for basically using the freedom they died for is a disgrace to all those who died for our freedom.

I'm gonna have to say the fault is divided evenly between the law and the man involved. Sure, it's ridiculous that you can be arrested for posting a picture on the internet and that is completely unacceptable. However, it's also a good case against social networking sites. The guy shouldn't have had to worry about being arrested for this, but you still shouldn't do (potentially) questionable shit with your real name attached to it.

This is dumb but why does everyone agree this is stupid, but the story about the man who got attacked for burning a US flag was rated hundreds of winners?

You're allowed to do whatever you want to your own property. [sub][sub]as long as it doesn't offend anyone![/sub][/sub]

[QUOTE=FlubberNugget;38422213]You're allowed to do whatever you want to your own property. [sub][sub]as long as it doesn't offend anyone![/sub][/sub][/QUOTE] If it's online it's considered public, it falls under a public order offense and if someone complains to the police they have to investigate

[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;38419793]In britain (and the commonwealth I think) you wear a poppy on your lapel on Remembrance Sunday (the closest sunday to 11/11 - the date of the WW1 armistice) to honor the war dead. Burning a poppy is seen as desecrating the memory of fallen soldiers. It's the british equivalent of burning the american flag in terms of how pissed off it makes people. For starters, we're not even sure if it was his poppy - he might have just found the pic elsewhere. Secondly even if he did burn it - so what? It's a victimless crime.[/QUOTE] Its the same in Canada too

[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;38419793]In britain (and the commonwealth I think) you wear a poppy on your lapel on Remembrance Sunday (the closest sunday to 11/11 - the date of the WW1 armistice) to honor the war dead. Burning a poppy is seen as desecrating the memory of fallen soldiers. It's the british equivalent of burning the american flag in terms of how pissed off it makes people. For starters, we're not even sure if it was his poppy - he might have just found the pic elsewhere. Secondly even if he did burn it - so what? It's a victimless crime.[/QUOTE] It may piss people of in America if you burn the American flag, but you will not be arrested.

[QUOTE=Riller;38421041]Isn't it kind-of weird to use poppies as a symbol of memory to soldiers? I mean, I guess it's an older tradition, so it's not Afghanistan-related, but... The Taliban is pretty much running on opium-money, so it's kind of the flag of the enemy, innit? Or something like that, guess I'm reading too much into it.[/QUOTE] It was the first flower that grew back on Flanders field. A site were the bloodiest fighting happened.

[QUOTE=Riller;38421041]Isn't it kind-of weird to use poppies as a symbol of memory to soldiers? I mean, I guess it's an older tradition, so it's not Afghanistan-related, but... The Taliban is pretty much running on opium-money, so it's kind of the flag of the enemy, innit? Or something like that, guess I'm reading too much into it.[/QUOTE] uh no the taliben is renowned for their anti-drug policy [editline]12th November 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=themooselord;38422357]It was the first flower that grew back on Flanders field. A site were the bloodiest fighting happened.[/QUOTE] [I]In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.[/I]

As a Brit I think that was a bit over-the-top, should have just warned him so they please the pissed off people and not fuck his life up.

[highlight]>UK in charge of individual freedom.[/highlight]

The fact that someone can get arrested for shit like this is horrific. What is Parliament trying to achieve with the Communications Act? Round up all the mean poopy pants who did mean stuff to someone on the internet? Grow up ffs

There was an article in the newspaper today about how provocation is slowly becoming unacceptable. We need people who provoke our thoughts and emotions, just in case they're right and we've become so used to something being normal that we don't question it any more. There's always going to be people who aren't trying to get a message across and say hurtful things out of spite, but it's up to us to distinguish that from genuine criticism.

tl;dr people need to stop being such wimps and accept that people aren't always as pleasant as they'd want them to be obviously this only goes so far but this is just insane

so when are they gonna start prosecuting violations of, you know, someone's rights?

[QUOTE=Lium;38420695]These arrests have to stop, this is getting beyond a joke. What he did deserves some form of punishment, maybe, but certainly not a criminal record.[/QUOTE] They should give him community service at a VFW or the Legion or something. Or whatever the British analogue is. Maybe if he works alongside them and listens to their stories and shit and gets to experience what they experienced at some level, he'll develop a sense of respect for them.

[QUOTE=Irkalla;38423016]They should give him community service at a VFW or the Legion or something. Or whatever the British analogue is. Maybe if he works alongside them and listens to their stories and shit and gets to experience what they experienced at some level, he'll develop a sense of respect for them.[/QUOTE] I'd assume he's a pacifist. I doubt you're going to be able to make him respect killers.

[QUOTE=DrTaxi;38423078]I'd assume he's a pacifist. I doubt you're going to be able to make him respect killers.[/QUOTE] lol. The whole idea of pacifism just boggles my mind. War's pretty much the only reason he can sit there and BE a pacifist. Without war there would be no Britain. It's like, hey these guys are trying to invade us. But we're pacifists so it's k. Just stupid :v: Oh and "hey let me hate these guys for something their country made them do"

This hurt feelings police stuff is a national disgrace. What do our courts think they're accomplishing?

[QUOTE=matt.ant;38422012]This is dumb but why does everyone agree this is stupid, but the story about the man who got attacked for burning a US flag was rated hundreds of winners?[/QUOTE] because i'm pretty sure that in that case, authoritative action wasn't taken he just got punched in the face by a guy who just happened to be a soldier this is just another case of the uk being a nanny state [editline]12th November 2012[/editline] correct me if i'm wrong

he's a retard for not using a vpn, and using his own facebook profile to "troll"

So I'm a bit confused, does the UK have free or protected speech? It sure doesn't seem like it.

How can anyone say the UK has free speech when stuff like this happens?

[QUOTE=GeneralSpecific;38427583]So I'm a bit confused, does the UK have free or protected speech? It sure doesn't seem like it.[/QUOTE] The UK is one of a few European countries where we do not have free speech. Although America isn't much better I hear about this sort of stuff happening all the time over the pond

[QUOTE=Chaoss86;38427768]The UK is one of a few European countries where we do not have free speech. Although America isn't much better I hear about this sort of stuff happening all the time over the pond[/QUOTE] like when?

[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;38422585]uh no the taliben is renowned for their anti-drug policy [editline]12th November 2012[/editline] [I]In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.[/I][/QUOTE] You are probably kidding because 90% of all opium exports worldwide come from afghanistan, and those opium sales are what essentially pay for the Taliban's weapons and etc. Opium comes from a plant called Poppy The difference is there's a flower called the poppy, but also a drug/flowering plant called a poppy as well (that opium is made from). It can get confusing. Poppy (the flower): [img]http://poppi.sourceforge.net/images/poppy.jpg[/img] Poppy (the plant which Opium is derived): [img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110819222809/uncyclopedia/images/5/5e/Opium-Poppy_-Raj_.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Chaoss86;38427768]The UK is one of a few European countries where we do not have free speech. Although America isn't much better I hear about this sort of stuff happening all the time over the pond[/QUOTE] Er, no. There's a lot you can say about the United States, but people being denied the right to free speech/expression by the government isn't one of them. Shit, we've had the KKK march on Washington D.C. more than once.

[QUOTE=Irkalla;38423147]lol. The whole idea of pacifism just boggles my mind. War's pretty much the only reason he can sit there and BE a pacifist. Without war there would be no Britain. It's like, hey these guys are trying to invade us. But we're pacifists so it's k. Just stupid :v: Oh and "hey let me hate these guys for something their country made them do"[/QUOTE] The wars through which Britain survived did not benefit its survival in any way. Why you think the wars was necessary to better our nation I'll never know.

I know Aylesham. It's one of those satellite mining towns around Dover that are just abandoned and where poverty thrives. He probably already has a criminal record. I accept that the poppy is a symbol of freedom, and that part of that freedom is the right to [I]not[/I] wear one, but if you're going to burn one on 11/11 you get what you deserve. What was the best that could happen? I know FP is sick of the troll arrests (as am I), but get some perspective on the few that are genuine criminal acts. He was arrested under the Communications Act, they didn't just say 'We're arresting you burning a poppy'. They used correct legislation for what some believe was an insensitive gesture. Knowing the arresting officer helps too. Nothing happening Sunday night in East Division.

And all the while WBC is still roaming around. What the fuck.