M.I,5-Persecuti on ` p urpose in publicizing i t; censo rship in uk.* newsg roups

[Guest fimfiei@bigfoot.com]

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-= purpose in publicizing. it; censorship in uk.* newsgroups -=

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The postings to uk.misc newsgroup generated a. very defensive reaction from

Usenet readers in the UK. So much so,. that they tried strenuously to

suppress what was being said,. both by breaking the rules of netiquette in

their responses on the forum, and directly by action to. revoke the account

from which the postings were. issued.

 

Yet the. postings were within the normal boundaries of behaviour for

uk.misc,. and other less partisan spectators did not see justice in the

censorship which was effected, as the. following excerpt shows;

 

:Karen Lofstrom (lofstrom@lava.net). wrote

:>It does seem that the frequency and the size of his posts. are

:>approaching net abuse. However, IMHO, they aren't quite. there yet. If

:>his postmaster were to. act in this instance, it would raise troubling

:>censorship. issues.

 

The inescapable conclusion of the censorship. effected on the uk.*

newsgroups is that. the British are intent on their wrongdoing remaining

concealed, and therefore seek. to subvert and suppress freedom of speech,

not only in their own country where the media shows xenophobic. bias and

bile against all perceived enemies within and without, but. also in other

countries which have. their own statutes to guarantee the basic human right

of free. speech.

 

It is absolutely necessary to bring their hate campaign out into. the open

where it can be placed. under scrutiny and the harassers seen for what they

are. That is. the only way of making it impossible for the security services

to carry it out. There is. a wider dimension, though. Xenophobia as

demonstrated. by British people and institutions over the last few years

belongs to the same stable as. racial hatred. In one case, two youths on a

Tube. train made that racism explicit by referring to their victim as a

"soft toy, not up to British Standards". Doubtless others victimize. partly

on the basis of race (isn’t it odd that they chose to torment. someone who

is not ethnically English?) while expressing their abuse. in terms of

another genetic attribute, namely mental. illness. All xenophobia on a

genetic basis is wrong, but. while racial insults are illegal, abusing the

mentally ill is neither against the. law nor subject to similar condemnation

when it. is exposed.

 

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