M-I 5.Per secution ` p urpose in p ublicizing i t; cen sorship in uk .* newsg roups

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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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