Keyboard warriors - will the jail sentences deter others?

I wonder if there are a lot of angry right-wingers out there upset by the Labour landslide and looking for some sort of release by on-line hate speech?
I didn't vote L but feel they ate doing their best in trying circumstances.

I too am Spartacus on the do gooder front - even though I reject the passive aggressive provocative use of that deliberately rude and dismissive phrase

It’s possible this forum reflects society out there. It’s not dominated by foo gooding loony lefties. There are simply more compassionate, thoughtful people than the other kind

And - the idea of Starmer as a dictator 🙈

Casdon

I wonder if enforced attendance over a number of weeks to be ‘lectured at’ about the impact of what they have posted would work, or counselling, or tailored community service specific to the crime?

Maybe for the lady from the leafy Cheshire village who said "Don't protect the mosques, blow the mosque up with the adults in it" could actually meet real people in real communities - it might make an impact.

I think others are beyond the reach of wanting or able to "understand" and post persistent violent hate posts deserve prison - whatever their political POV

The likes of Elon Musk whose platform fostered so much misinformation - after the "UK going into civil War" comments he posted that our authorities were going to send people tot he Falklands for goodness sake - I really don't understand enough what can be done.

Please don’t leave nanna8. I believe it’s good for us in Britain to understand how things that are happening here are viewed by those living abroad. Especially those who are British and have an interest.
I agree, up to a point, but 'those living abroad' is made up of millions of people, and nobody can speak for all of them, any more than any one UK resident can speak for the rest. Speaking personally, I'd like to know where impressions have been sourced, so I can decide how reliable they are, and how far the poison of likes of Musk have influenced the way the UK is viewed. I don't think it is 'good for us' to have his views repeated and reinforced.

I don't want to see anyone leave, but there is nothing compelling people to post if they feel uncomfortable. This is supposed to be fun, after all. If that stops, it's often better just to take a break and say nothing - when people announce they are leaving it is difficult to come back when they feel like it.

I miss Fanny too. I suspect she took a step back, and hope she will return when she feels up to it.

I wonder if enforced attendance over a number of weeks to be ‘lectured at’ about the impact of what they have posted would work, or counselling, or tailored community service specific to the crime?

Community service.

Dinahmo

I don't believe that prison is a deterrent. I doubt that anyone thinks "if I do this, or that, I will go to prison" . No one ever thinks that they will get caught.

The threat of hanging did not stop children from poaching rabbits on the local estates. Nor does the threat of life imprisonment stop people killing their partner and/or children.

However, I do think that people using SM to incite violence should be severely punished.

It’s what the alternative is to jail that’s the problem I guess. Governments don’t have the ability to ban people from social media, there are loads of different platforms too.
Can anybody think of alternative sanctions?

Dinahmo

I don't believe that prison is a deterrent. I doubt that anyone thinks "if I do this, or that, I will go to prison" . No one ever thinks that they will get caught.

The threat of hanging did not stop children from poaching rabbits on the local estates. Nor does the threat of life imprisonment stop people killing their partner and/or children.

However, I do think that people using SM to incite violence should be severely punished.

Main stream published news and broadcasting are already subject to the laws of the land on incitement to violence, I think extending this to Social Media given changed social conditions is proper, used within reason.

Not sure about the punishments and deterrence, but I think it proper to send signs out that equate to our pre-existing limits on MSM/broadcasting.

I personally know one of the banned members.
The post ( a reply) she put up couldn’t be further away from race, riots.
She has always been ( what I call) a moderate poster.

I do think people tend to assume that anything goes behind their keyboard, in their own homes.

Hopefully the message will sink in that it's not the case now.

I'm pretty damn sure prison would absolutely horrify me.

It’s been reported that convicted criminals, some with as many as 100 convictions, many for theft, are not being sent to prison.
I’m not sure it sits well with a 55 year old woman with no previous criminal record at all, being sent to prison for 15 months, because she wrote a vile post on social media (and it was vile, although I only found out what she wrote on here, on GN) whilst long standing convicted criminals avoid prison.
It’s all very disturbing and puzzling to me.

nanna8

I’m missing Germanshepherdsmum and hope she is not banned. I am obviously in a minority here and just now thinking hard about remaining. Maybe it should remain totally British and that’s ok by me because I don’t have inside knowledge, only impressions from overseas and relatives who may or may not be typical. Another one I miss is fanny- always intelligent, always able to see two sides to an argument.

Please don’t leave nanna8. I believe it’s good for us in Britain to understand how things that are happening here are viewed by those living abroad. Especially those who are British and have an interest.

I suspect GSM has been banned but I’m not sure, and if she has I don’t know why. I miss her posts. She often took a different view from many others, and she was intelligent and informed. She didn’t mind taking a different view to the mainstream and argued her case well. It’s good to have a variety of opinions represented here.
Fanny I think Cornswall, or something similar, was a great poster. I really liked her. She seemed to leave a while ago, but I think it was her own decision. Her last thread was about a kitten she was getting.

I don't believe that prison is a deterrent. I doubt that anyone thinks "if I do this, or that, I will go to prison" . No one ever thinks that they will get caught.

The threat of hanging did not stop children from poaching rabbits on the local estates. Nor does the threat of life imprisonment stop people killing their partner and/or children.

However, I do think that people using SM to incite violence should be severely punished.

karmalady

meanwhile career criminals are being let out

Resentment is still simmering below the surface and the uk will NOT be suppressed like people in dictatorial north korea, or china. We now have a dictator in place who is trying to rule by fear

What do you think should happen to the keyboard warriors involved in the riots karmalady, and will jailing them be a deterrent to other keyboard warriors?

It's the internet nanna, anyone can post on here.

To return to the O/P.

To quote youCasdon

" and have incited riot with some expressed physical harm to migrants or police in their posts".

I don't think we should tolerate social media posts like the one alluded to in the O/P

Don't protect the mosques, blow the mosque up with the adults in it.

This is suggesting it's OK to bomb terrorist style people just worshipping and is very extreme

I think very limited numbers should be prosecuted who have passed that boundary, within current laws.

It is all fairly new territory: but to continue to allow this horrible level of hate, bombing, isn't freedom, freedom is being able to live an ordinary life without fear.

karmalady

meanwhile career criminals are being let out

Resentment is still simmering below the surface and the uk will NOT be suppressed like people in dictatorial north korea, or china. We now have a dictator in place who is trying to rule by fear

trying to rule by fear

meaning to scare people by using the law, into self censoring?
Thereby preventing differing ideas to be shared?

I've read the new laws are to include the word opinions, not just hate.
Perhaps others know more?

Cossy

karmalady

meanwhile career criminals are being let out

Resentment is still simmering below the surface and the uk will NOT be suppressed like people in dictatorial north korea, or china. We now have a dictator in place who is trying to rule by fear

We certainly do NOT have a dictator as our PM!

head in the sand again cossy

I’m missing Germanshepherdsmum and hope she is not banned. I am obviously in a minority here and just now thinking hard about remaining. Maybe it should remain totally British and that’s ok by me because I don’t have inside knowledge, only impressions from overseas and relatives who may or may not be typical. Another one I miss is fanny- always intelligent, always able to see two sides to an argument.

karmalady

meanwhile career criminals are being let out

Resentment is still simmering below the surface and the uk will NOT be suppressed like people in dictatorial north korea, or china. We now have a dictator in place who is trying to rule by fear

We certainly do NOT have a dictator as our PM!

What leads you to think that KS is a dictator, karmalady, and how is he trying to rule by fear?

meanwhile career criminals are being let out

Resentment is still simmering below the surface and the uk will NOT be suppressed like people in dictatorial north korea, or china. We now have a dictator in place who is trying to rule by fear

Doodledog

I am uncomfortable with dragging up things that were said in different times when the people saying them were different people.

Students say daft things. All the time . They are learning who they are, and how to express that. That, in many ways, is one of the points of being a student. I really don't like the idea that we should, as adults, have our student indiscretions held against us forever.

I'm not talking about sex offenders or murders here, but people who made unfortunate choices in what they said, sometimes in the heat of the moment, and may now regret them. The courts would be full to overflowing if we were all called to account for saying things we may now regret.

I think you’ve summed up how I feel too Doodledog, thanks.

I’ve seen this morning that 28 people have now been jailed for social media offences, the ones I’ve seen reported are mainly aged 30+, and have incited riot with some expressed physical harm to migrants or police in their posts.

Saying it writing something isn't the same as inciting, I suppose.

Doodledog

I am uncomfortable with dragging up things that were said in different times when the people saying them were different people.

Students say daft things. All the time . They are learning who they are, and how to express that. That, in many ways, is one of the points of being a student. I really don't like the idea that we should, as adults, have our student indiscretions held against us forever.

I'm not talking about sex offenders or murders here, but people who made unfortunate choices in what they said, sometimes in the heat of the moment, and may now regret them. The courts would be full to overflowing if we were all called to account for saying things we may now regret.

Goodness yes! In my late teens and very early twenties I’m sure I spoke and thought some pretty dreadful and ignorant things, however, no one will ever have any evidence as we didn’t have social media.

I just think people need to think first, post later!

I was told several times to engage my brain first, then my mouth 😂😂