Tuesday, May 20, 2008

More bad news for free speech - this time it's the "Cult" of scientology

Whoa. The bad news just keeps on keeping on, how's this for a hate crime?

UK teenager has been ordered to appear in court for using the word "cult" to describe the Church of Scientology. The 15 year old was served a summons by police when he took part in a demonstration on May 10 opposite the London headquarters of the controversial religion. Police confiscated the youth's placard with the world ‘cult’ written on it, the Guardian newspaper reports. The teenager is a member of the internet-based movement Anonymous, which has been banned by police from describing Scientology as a cult because it was "abusive and insulting".

"This barmy prosecution makes a mockery of Britain's free speech traditions”, said civil liberty group spokesperson Shami Chakrabarti.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=566612

Free Speech is hate Speech, it is the freedom to express your opinion even if it offends others. We don't need to defend free speech if people agree with you, you only need to defend free speech when someone doesn't agree with what you have to say.

On February 10, 2008, the self-named group "Anonymous" began with Project Chanology, with a mass protest worldwide against the Church of Scientology. Anonymous has an Anarchist structure as it lacks any visible hierarchy or leaders, instead relying on individuals to contribute to the group on their own.

http://www.prlog.org/10046797-internet-group-anonymous-declares-war-on-scientology.html

The group declared war on the church of scientology to end the financial exploitation of Church members and protecting the right to free speech, a right which they claim was consistently violated by the Church of Scientology in pursuit of its opponents.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What is so "abusive and insulting" about telling it how it is? If believing that our souls come from aliens who were banished by the evil intergalactic lord Xenu isn't a cult, what is?!