This entry was posted on
Friday, June 27th, 2008 at
12:37 pm and is filed
under The Political Weblog Movement.
Civil action can be quite pricey and sometimes dicey, but for those with no time for critics and no taste for accountability, there is an alternative… call the cops and scream ‘harassment’:
Slugger O’Toole – Power of arrest used against Belfast blogger: I cannot and do not wish to speak to the veracity of Murray’s claims against the individuals named on his website. Free speech is rightly moderated by a civil code that gives both sides the opportunity to put their case before a court of law. There is certainly a case for the involvement of the police if a blogger, or one of their commenters implies physical threats against a specific individual. But I’ve been through Murray’s blog and have not been able to find any evidence of such; which might explain why no charges appear to have been preferred. If Malachi is right, the use of police power of arrest appears to have been used directly against a citizen for criticising several public figures on the Internet. That’s a development that should worry more than just the citizens of Belfast.
[Psst! On the subject of (ahem) strategic use of recent harassment law, do take the time to learn more about Timothy Lawson-Cruttenden.]
By CalumCarr June 27, 2008 - 1:59 pm
Bloody hell. This link came out the blue. 15 months ago I posted re Lawson-Cruttenden.Many thanks all the same for the link.
By Manic June 28, 2008 - 12:32 am
CC: You provided a useful reference point that I needed and Google knew about. Cheers.
By Letters From A Tory June 30, 2008 - 9:49 am
Very disturbing stuff. Being arrested is not something that can be laughed off after it's happened – it's incredibly serious and presumably distressing to be arrested for 'harrassment' because you campaigned on a blog. Poor bloke.
By David Boothroyd July 6, 2008 - 12:35 am
Good news on this story in this week's Observer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/06/northern…
By Manic July 7, 2008 - 10:25 am
"The 40-year-old was charged with three counts of intimidating a member of a local residents' committee, which included intimidation on the internet. The judge, however, found Murray not guilty on all counts at Belfast's Magistrates' Court."Good for him.Oh, and LFAT? It's serious and distressing to be harrassed with cries of 'harrassment' just because you campaigned on a blog.