A Message to the police ....

[bhaexpress]

Mods, please close this thread as it's heading for a very unsuitable binfest. Oh, well done Bozza by the way.

 

[Brovion]

Totally and 100% agree with the points made by Westdene and Cov. That's all I'm saying,

 

[beorhthelm]

do you actaully know what was said to Bozza, and what manner, or in relation to what thread/posts? no?

so how do you know the police have "overreacted"?

reading between the lines, someone posted something ott, then someone in the police, possibly unofficially, highlighted the risk, bearing in mind that as a football/metanews/recipe site you are more likely to get a complaint from some seeing somthing they didnt expect or offended by.

if we are heading towards a police state, this incident isnt a sypmtom of the problem, you should be far more worried about anti-terror laws being abused, RIP act, ID database, DNA database and stories of police arresting people for taking photos of the scenary.

 

[coventrygull]

Anyone ever watch " The Lives of Others" well you are living it now. Enjoy

 

[The Spanish]

More to the point you think the police just stumbled across this. Someone grassed from here more like.

Coventry has it exactly right apart from that.

I understand the moderator fella banning everyone from talking about something because its his site, its boring or its putting people off, fair one.

But grassing people to the old bill for talking about politics and hiding behind daft laws is LOW.

 

[KneeOn]

Pointless thread me thinks.

 

[Billy the Fish]

For anyone saying that there must have been an offence, the theme of those threads last week was mostly due to NG being on question time. There may have been a couple of comments that I missed but on the whole, as The Spanish says, it was just a debate about politics.

 

[simon195]

there you go again you lot, arguing over minor issue, ur never learn will yer, why dont you all get in boxing ring and fight it out then the winner can have nsc all to himself, by way i do happen to know where the copper in question lives.. 999 letsbe avenue cellmenshire !"!!!!

 

[Tui]

There have been many threads over the years talking about many topical subjects, somtimes people get offended but christ what can we post without offending somebody. Allready posts slaging off players, other teams , our manager..... where do you draw the line
Buy trying to control what people can and can't say is very dangerous. If people post rubbish just ignore it .... simple.
And as for the Police threats ... christ just host the board overseas that'll screw the cops , anyway they should be cutting crime not stopping FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!

 

[Billy the Fish]

why dont you all get in boxing ring and fight it out then the winner can have nsc all to himself:

Inciting violence STRING HIM UP

 

[El Presidente]

I wouldn't call it an over-reaction. The BNP is the hot topic, the police don't want trouble, where better to start than some major football websites? They review the threads, see some racism and issue a warning.

I think you will find the police responded to a complaint, rather than casually tripped over the usual binfestery by accident.

There are a number of issues here:

1: What do we (actually ultimately Bozza) want discussed on NSC? I personally take the view that part of the success of the board in which we have had over 3 million posts, is due to having a spirit of tolerance and acceptance. Having seen the moderating policies at the Palace sites and some other Albion related sites (some of which are no more) I believe that such a policy created an unwelcoming environment and has contributed to a lack of traffic there.
2: Where does healthy debate and argument over non-football issues end, and bigotry begin?
3: What prompted someone to go to the police rather than report the thread to the mods, was it a genuine sense of public spiritedness taking the view that NSC is a secret gateway to white supremacy, or was it a bit of attention seeking, telling tales to get someone into trouble?
4: How on EARTH did the police officer who investigated the issue come to the conclusion that a crime had been committed, or was he just covering his arse?

 

[Brovion]

do you actaully know what was said to Bozza, and what manner, or in relation to what thread/posts? no?

so how do you know the police have "overreacted"?

reading between the lines, someone posted something ott, then someone in the police, possibly unofficially, highlighted the risk, bearing in mind that as a football/metanews/recipe site you are more likely to get a complaint from some seeing somthing they didnt expect or offended by.

if we are heading towards a police state, this incident isnt a sypmtom of the problem, you should be far more worried about anti-terror laws being abused, RIP act, ID database, DNA database and stories of police arresting people for taking photos of the scenary.

I could turn that round. Do YOU know what was said? If 'No', how do you know the police DIDN'T overreact? It's a bit like the Wilkins sacking (sorry to bring football into this) - I guess most of us will never know.

With regard to your second point, ok, no, it's nothing like the abuses of power you've listed but yes, in its own small, almost insignificant way it IS symptomatic of a slide towards a police state. For whatever reason NSC's own self-policing policy to control vile and abusive posts was bypassed and Bozza felt the heavy hand of the Law on his shoulder. The upshot is that NSC's own system of moderation is now deemed to have failed, i.e. we aren't considered 'reliable' enough to use our common sense to run/post on a public forum and we now know the authorities are watching to make sure we don't step out of line again. Consequently everybody is now nervous. No one minds, indeed we welcome, racist and abusive posts/threads being removed and the perpatrators banned. But that isn't what's going to happen is it? The mods will be nervously looking over their shoulders at the spectre of PC Plod* and will adopt a 'better safe than sorry' approach which will see threads locked and/or posts removed simply because they MIGHT eventually lead to something that could offend.

So yes, I think it's a black day not just for NSC but, without wishing to be to melodramatic, to the concept of free debate and of adults being allowed to think for themselves.

*No offence meant to the serving officers who post on here.

 

[Insel affe]

4: How on EARTH did the police officer who investigated the issue come to the conclusion that a crime had been committed, or was he just covering his arse?

I think we have some double standards here by the police pretending to investigate race hate crimes, when all along while there on a BRIGHTON website they "are covering there arse's" .......................... just what are they trying to Insinuate

 

[BigGully]

I have followed this board for sometime and although not a regular contributor, I feel compelled to comment.

There have been a few binfest, as you lot call them and few robust debates and of course the odd comment that has included childish abuse and no doubt racists comments too.

But undoubtedly the general board has been vibrant and the discussion varied, but never overtly racists in any way.

Why oh why then, this board should then be targeted by the Police even after any complaint is an absolute outrage.

Bozza, I guess initially got spooked and I fully undestand his reaction, but I would suspect that as the days go by he might become more and more angry how his popular discussion board could be targeted by the authorities.

If you decide that the only legitimate discussion is Glen Murray's lack of diagonal run's, then this Board is already dead in the water.

 

[El Presidente]

If you decide that the only legitimate discussion is Glen Murray's lack of diagonal run's, then this Board is already dead in the water.

If I had diagonal runs, IMMODIUM would be the answer.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I could turn that round. Do YOU know what was said? If 'No', how do you know the police DIDN'T overreact? It's a bit like the Wilkins sacking (sorry to bring football into this) - I guess most of us will never know.

With regard to your second point, ok, no, it's nothing like the abuses of power you've listed but yes, in its own small, almost insignificant way it IS symptomatic of a slide towards a police state. For whatever reason NSC's own self-policing policy to control vile and abusive posts was bypassed and Bozza felt the heavy hand of the Law on his shoulder. The upshot is that NSC's own system of moderation is now deemed to have failed, i.e. we aren't considered 'reliable' enough to use our common sense to run/post on a public forum and we now know the authorities are watching to make sure we don't step out of line again. Consequently everybody is now nervous. No one minds, indeed we welcome, racist and abusive posts/threads being removed and the perpatrators banned. But that isn't what's going to happen is it? The mods will be nervously looking over their shoulders at the spectre of PC Plod* and will adopt a 'better safe than sorry' approach which will see threads locked and/or posts removed simply because they MIGHT eventually lead to something that could offend.

So yes, I think it's a black day not just for NSC but, without wishing to be to melodramatic, to the concept of free debate and of adults being allowed to think for themselves.

*No offence meant to the serving officers who post on here.

An excellent post.

I don't want to see the end of robust political discussions on NSC. But free debate needs to be disciplined. The message is simple: watch your language.

 

[Brovion]

I think you will find the police responded to a complaint, rather than casually tripped over the usual binfestery by accident.

...
3: What prompted someone to go to the police rather than report the thread to the mods, was it a genuine sense of public spiritedness taking the view that NSC is a secret gateway to white supremacy, or was it a bit of attention seeking, telling tales to get someone into trouble?
4: How on EARTH did the police officer who investigated the issue come to the conclusion that a crime had been committed, or was he just covering his arse?

I'm guessing it was someone with a grudge, possibly someone connected with LDC. We know they have a certain, er, 'influence' with the local police; think back to 'Rozgate' and the hoo-haa over her 'Wanted' poster - that got blown out of all proportion simply because the target had connections.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I don't want to see the end of robust political discussions on NSC. But free debate needs to be disciplined. The message is simple: watch your language.

Quite. If people want to push the boundaries of acceptability - then do not be surprised if the boundaries are reached.

And talk about police state ? It is another means to try to make people feel uneasy. Why ? Who knows.

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

The reason the chattering classes are now chattering like they are, is exactly because of total over reactions like this by the police/goverment.

 

[BigGully]

An excellent post.

I don't want to see the end of robust political discussions on NSC. But free debate needs to be disciplined. The message is simple: watch your language.

But why worry .............

Whenever their has been an outrageous post, it is generally ignored or quickly refuted by the reasonable majority and that poster moves on to a more sleazy forum away from NSC, job done.

As soon we accept your 'discipline' of free debate the boundaries are distorted by the ones feeling they and they alone can offer the authority of those boundaries.

So if you or I are sometimes offended, big deal.