… I think we can do more than this (Telegraph):
Liam Stacey, a student who mocked footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after he collapsed during a match, was jailed today for inciting racial hatred.
Last week he admitted inciting racial hatred when he appeared briefly at Swansea Magistrates’ Court and today he was jailed for 56 days at the same court.
The first of Stacey’s messages began with ”LOL (laugh out loud). **** Muamba. He’s dead!!!”
Moments earlier, District Judge John Charles told him: “In my view there is no alternative to an immediate prison sentence.”
He was sent to prison to “reflect the public outrage” at his comments. Now that it’s open season on anything unpleasant, I have a long list of people I’d like imprisoned.
Wake up, English! You are no longer free.
Besides the obvious free speech issue, this is also so arbitrary. People say offensive things all the time. But this one guy is getting punished over this one thing. That’s totally unjust. But that arbitrariness is inevitable when courts take this route, because you can’t prosecute everyone who says offensive stuff.
Indeed, it is all rather arbitrary. Just make an example out of a random citizen…
Sad…