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.

Australian iron fist of the State suppress' dissenting views

It seems that Freedom of Speech has taken another blow, this time in the land Down under.

Melbourne University has demoted one of its most outspoken academics after a complaint against him by the State Government. Dr Mees said at a public forum last year that the authors of a 2007 report on privatisation were "liars and frauds and should be in jail".

"The university strongly supports and encourages the principles of academic freedom," Professor McPhee said.

Apparently, that academic freedom only applies when you're not on the payroll.

Professor Low has been in negotiations with the State Government over funding a research project into greenhouse gas emissions from transport. Mr Betts has agreed to be a partner in the application for funding.

Didn't you know, the defense of truth is no defense for the truth!

Without telling Dr Mees, the university also launched an investigation into whether he had damaged the university's reputation. The inquiry, conducted by Michael King of Monash University's law faculty, found Dr Mees had "brought the university into disrepute by making derogatory and insulting comments" about government officers.

Dr King found it did not matter whether Dr Mees' statements were true or not. "His defence of truth should be dismissed," says Dr King's report.

He rejected Dr Mees' defence that the comments were not "insulting or derogatory", that he spoke the truth, and that it was part of his duty as an academic to "expose corruption".

Dr Mees has since quit the university, and will give his final lecture next week. He has accepted a role with RMIT's planning department.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/uni-demotes-transport-dissident/2008/05/19/1211182704265.html

"I don't think we're in kansas anymore Toto". What is happening to our university system when our academics can no longer speak the truth about Government corruption?

The Iron Fist of the State doesn't need to strike, it just needs to withhold capital.

Fight Corruption. EAT THE RICH!

Another Blow for Free Speech - Dutch cartoonist arrested for 'insulting people'

The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. 5,000 Muslim immigrants living in Denmark took to the streets in protest over the cartoons. They were republished in a furter 50 newspapers across the world, resulting in worldwide riots.

Supporters have said that the cartoons illustrated an important issue in a period of Islamic terrorism and that their publication is a legitimate exercise of the right of free speech, explicitly tied to the issue of self-censorship.

They claim that Muslims were not targeted in a discriminatory way since unflattering cartoons about other religions are frequently printed, case in point- Christianity. In Brussels a young Muslim immigrant published a poster depicting the Virgin Mary with naked breasts. It depicts the virgin Mary with a howling child and a bowl of blood. She is barebreasted and is sitting next to a shield with the arms of Flanders. As a muslim immigrant Ben Chikha is allowed to use such images. Though the picture has drawn some protest from Catholics (sans riots) this artist has not recieved death threats, and is being subsidised by the Ministry for Culture. Sounds like a double standard to me!

The Latest in the Cartoon Saga -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24665094/

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A Dutch political cartoonist was arrested this week on suspicion of insulting people because of their race or religion through his work, authorities said Friday. The cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of violating hate speech laws and held overnight before being released, a spokeswoman for his publisher Uitgeverij Xtra said.

She asked that her name not be used, and declined to give Nekschot's real name, because the cartoonist and publisher have both received death threats. Nekschot is known primarily for cartoons mocking Muslims and leftists, though the spokeswoman said he is a satirist who targets "any strong ideology." Amsterdam public prosecutor spokeswoman Sanne van Meteren said Nekschot remains a suspect in a criminal investigation.

"We suspect him of insulting people on the basis of their race or belief, and possibly also of inciting hate," she said.

Each is a crime punishable by up to a year in prison under Dutch hate speech laws — or two years for multiple offenses.

What have we come to when people are arrested for political cartoons?

Further Information:
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/382
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons_controversy