Freedom of Speech on the Internet

[Alibaldi]

Amnesty International takes up the cause started by others
Story on the BBC

I don't see anything wrong with people needing to be responsible with their privilege of free speech (many people in the world don?t have this luxury).

As put in the BBC article "Freedom of expression online is a right, not a privilege - but it's a right that needs defending," said Steve Ballinger of Amnesty International.

My current frustration is that I remain to be convinced by Mumsnet Justine that she is really anti the current UK Libel Laws ?

• To date she is (IMHO) just another journalist and Web site owner who would find their life a lot easier if the UK libel law was changed in their favour?

She is using her media contacts to complain about the situation, but hasn?t (as yet) managed to suggest an alternative.

If she could improve the UK structure, fantastic. But so far she is just gaining lots of publicity for herself and Mumsnet.

Full conversation about this is at www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1374&threadid=320920

Sorry.
The link is
www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1374&threadid=320920

Well done Quattrocento.
For standing up to the bullies.

I'm very sorry that you have been attacked this way Quattro. MN is usually a great place to be but right now there is a lot of nastyness around. The Madeleine threads in particular are unbelievably nasty. I've used MN for a couple of years now (many lurking) and I haven't witnessed anything quite like it before. Even the Gina Ford threads weren't so nasty.

Apologies for the hijack btw.

...that should be 'mainly' of course...

what was your thread about dino? am genuinely interested.

quattrocento, i have no opinion on whether you are a genuine poster. if you are, i can see that you would have been upset by some of the comments in response to your posts. however, however upset you might be now, it would be the teeny tiniest fraction of the upset that kate mccann would feel she'd read your posts on that thread, and for that reason i'm afraid i have no sympathy. i'm afraid getting a robust response to controversial views cannot be dismissed as "bullying" either.

this is interesting. I have been quite taken aback at some of the posts MN have chosen NOT to delete in recent months, especially those which have been extremely abusive and inflammatory - words to the effect that people who vote for TB are murdering babies, or those who give money to the church are actively supporting paedophiles. I would be very interested in why comments like that are allowed to stand. When I complain to MN I get a breezy email back stating how ' robust debate is always healthy' or some other platitude. So I watch this thread with interest.

Well I wrote to Mumsnet, offering degree certificates, professional qualifications, husband's details, birth certificates (just to settle the gender issue)... That offer still stands, btw, and someone called Rachel said she would get back to me.

I don't know who anyone is on Mumsnet, but one of the bullies was thirtiesmum who was recently outed. The person who set the thread up (I can't remember the title but it was something like QC has invented everything and is a man in disguise) was Dinosaur.

Challenged? Repeatedly You can call it challenging. I called it, and many other people called it a grotesque example of bullying. That's why it got pulled. I hope.

Why have I got sucked into this again?

maybe legal action was threatened?

I haven't read all of the Madeleine threads - too long and too nasty and ghoulish for my taste, but I did see some of the posts Quattro made and none of them seemed to be bullying.

Welcome to MN, FakeID - I see Justine et al are allowing you your debut oin MN to attack them

Callisto - legal assertions were doubted by longstanding and known lawyers on MN.

Dino, I am sure other MNers agree with me. It really doesn't bother me either way.

I have no reasons to be other than impartial as I know no-one on here. But it is a downright lie to say that Quattro was a 'prime bully' or that the replies she got in the topic set up for the sole purpose of defaming her were merely a 'robust response' (clever euphemism, maybe BossyK should consider a career as a spin-doctor for bullies.) They were an unpleasant personal attack launched by one or two people and joined in with glee by others who enjoyed the warm fuzzy glow of laying into one victim from the safety of a pack.

Dino - why not contact MN and ask them why they pulled that thread when others have not been deleted? Genuine and legitimate question, imo.

lol, a rather good point blu.