Should racist speech be controlled by the law?

[MrManager]

Specifically the criminal law, i.e. should it be an offence (as it is now), or is freedom of speech too important?

I'm not clear on how anyone can 'belong' anywhere Deseridata - what are the criteria?

A definition of British Ethnicity would be handy, as would what definitions of 'race', 'ethnicity' and 'nationality' we are working to here.

I don't recall that I ever implied that different ethnicities get different status.

Perhaps, instead of haranguing me, you could read my posts?

What I said that was, without people like you, we'd all get along fine. You're like a big soup spoon, stirring up shit.

And people who can trace their ancestry to the UK for a few hundred years are generally white. I'm not quite sure why that's a racist comment, but I couldn't really give a fuck about that.

It's OK to have a hundred years of ancestry and be black. It's OK to say that white people are entirely responsible for the slave trade, without making due recognition of the fact that it was the locals who brought them to the boat .. for a fee.

Africa now has the worst record for slavery in the world.

As I say, no matter what your skin colour, there's bad buggers everywhere you look.

Well excuse me for reading " The very moment that you suggest someone's ethnicity gives them a special status, is where you lose the argument.
"
as implying that you think that someone is according ethinicities special status and that this was something to do with the law, being in a thread about racist language and the law.

So is your basic thesis is that measures put in place to protect minorities actually lead to more racism, or that people like me (what am I like btw) cause racism?

Ok laydeez, reading's done, and Desiderata has read my post properly and now understands it.....oh.

So she has apologised too, one hopes?

ah, no scurry. Poor Desiderata,if she hadn't been quite so fast and loose with the personal insults I might have taken pity and explained it to her. Mind you, if she didn't understand it first time, I honestly don't hold out much hope.

Nickie seems to me like you just piled on here for a fight, your posts are nasty and patronising

I think Desiderata's posts were the nasty ones.

AnyFule, back off. I wrote a thoughtful, friendly post which Desiderata completely misunderstood (and still cannot understand and piled in with a completely hysterical and aggressive posts in which she called me a racist, a complete personal attack of the worst kind (and a severe case of projection). I could have had her post deleted but I am trying to give her the opportunity to read my post and APOLOGISE for hers. So if you don't mind, just butt out.

I note with dismay that many of you post here to bully people, and I see your 'victim' is Deseridata.

IMO many things are said that another finds offensive, does that make them criminial? Certainly not.

As said we had laws of incitement, that was enough.

Why should anyone here apologise? You lot should grow up and stop bullying each other!

By the way I've been given the 'hate crime treatment' by a black person, should I prosecute? Certainly not. I was offended but I'll get over it and live!

Riven. Yes I was, but to prosecute someone for that? Bonkers, IMO.

That's crap MyCountry ( @ your username by the way) Desiderata responded to a measured, reasonable post of mine with hysterical abuse, and called me a racist. She's no victim.

sorry, just seen it's mycounty. whatever.

hiding thread. Good bye

Nickiename. It's mycounty. Not mycountry!
Desiderata IMO by reading the posts directed towards her was picked on, and if you decide you are one of them fine, so be it.

Pathetic.

Desiderata upset a lot of people with her horrible comments, then, apparently too thick to understand my post, got completely hysterical and called me a racist. But that makes her a victim, right?

Nickiename. You say that desiderata 'upset a lot of people with her 'horrible comments' her comments are subjective, if people don't like them fine. What I object to is some MNs piling in and having a go at someone just for the sake of it.
You personally took it as an insult to be called 'racist', would you take it as an insult if I called you boring? It seems to me that whenever white people say that they have been in this country for thousands of years or mention in way that they may be proud to be white and have a long history of their family living in this country then they are called racist.

Black people can say they are black and proud, why not white people?

Why do you get so upset by words on paper? I don't like people being picked on. That is it.

Riven. If someone took my hat/scarf off my head and called me names, The first action is assault and depending on how they did it (were joking/having a laugh) or did it in another manner would be why I would call the police, the rest is name calling. I'm very afraid for this country when people choose to want prosecution for the spoken word. I find that very disturbing.

Riven. Families should bring their children up to respect other people, that is not the job of the state, to impose sanctions on speech. These laws only create resentment and most of that is directed towards ethnic minorities, of whom people see getting 'special treatment' or being protected. It does not protect people in the future.

Jack Straw wrote to every mosque in this country, stating he would bring in 'hate crime' laws for their votes. How measured and fair is that?

Many people feel aggrieved and feel they are not listened too, (on both sides) but bringing in laws to stop free speech was, and is not the way forward.