Racism in Football

[Shaggy]

It's ****ing brilliant to see these pricks being arrested. Stan Collymore is getting racially abused on there every single day - this morning he said he got his lawyer mate to have a look at his timeline and he's told him there are "At least 150 separate actionable offences under English law"

[Kenneth]

It's good to see it being tackled, but I do have some reservations about such 'malicious comminications' being a criminal offense. Should calling someone a ****** really be a crime? Where is the line?

[Alex]

All I could think about from that article was "Ameobi is NINETEEN??" Then I realised it was a different one. Not Shola, but Sammy.

Im glad that these people are getting picked up on Twitter. It'll only take a few cases and people will start to get the message. Wonder if Collymore will take it up with any of them? Hopefully he does.

[Alex]

It's good to see it being tackled, but I do have some reservations about such 'malicious comminications' being a criminal offense. Should calling someone a ****** really be a crime? Where is the line?

I think Racism should be a Crime, well definatly when it comes form a place of hate at least.

Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination.

No one should be discriminated against. Black or White.

Imagine the uproar if Terry had been racially abused in a prominently Black country.

[Craig_H]

I think Racism should be a Crime, well definatly when it comes form a place of hate at least.



No one should be discriminated against. Black or White.

Imagine the uproar if Terry had been racially abused in a prominently Black country.

Totally agree with this, but couldnt there also be a case for saying people shouldnt be discriminated against for having ginger hair, or being too short/tall/fat/thin etc?

A person's height is just as beyond their control as their ethnicity - so if a race-based insult is an offence, shouldnt a 'height-based' insult be too?

[IN_RAFA_WE_TRUST]

Chop their hands off

[Vermilion]

Totally agree with this, but couldnt there also be a case for saying people shouldnt be discriminated against for having ginger hair, or being too short/tall/fat/thin etc?

A person's height is just as beyond their control as their ethnicity - so if a race-based insult is an offence, shouldnt a 'height-based' insult be too?

Someone been having a go at you about something Craig ?

edit: omg...Your Alan Brazil are'nt you! ?

[Kenneth]

I think Racism should be a Crime, well definatly when it comes form a place of hate at least.

That's a can of worms there. Hate isn't illegal. Threatening or inciting behaviour and communication is one thing, and certainly is and should be criminal. It's easy to criminalise things we disapprove of or find distasteful, but not necessarily right. I think simply calling someone a n****r, or even a black cunt, falls in line with freedom of expression personally. Perfectly right that people are judged for it, and that institutions deem it worthy of sanction when it goes against their ethos, but not the law IMO.

[Alex]

Totally agree with this, but couldnt there also be a case for saying people shouldnt be discriminated against for having ginger hair, or being too short/tall/fat/thin etc?

A person's height is just as beyond their control as their ethnicity - so if a race-based insult is an offence, shouldnt a 'height-based' insult be too?

Thats just discrimination, rather than Racial Discrimination. I have always been of the opinion that I will comment on someone for the choices they make, not what or who they are.

Ill laugh at a fat bloke, because he can lose weight. But I dont see the merit in taking the piss out of short/tall people.

[Kenneth]

But there is merit in taking the piss out of fat people

But yes, I agree with your point and have mentioned it previously.

[Alex]

But there is merit in taking the piss out of fat people

But yes, I agree with your point and have mentioned it previously.

Thats what I said

[Vermilion]

Thinking about all this, and i remember how they used to have a 'gollywog' on the jam/marmalade jars, kids even at one point had a cuddly toy 'gollywog' when i was little, how times have changed.

https://www.google.com/search?as_qdr=all&num=15&q=golliwog&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=wyI&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=K5ayTobeAo2LswavsMCaBA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CB8Q_AUoAQ&biw=1279&bih=717&sei=%20WpayTsCfGc2Sswbv2I2YBA

[Chrono]

That's a can of worms there. Hate isn't illegal. Threatening or inciting behaviour and communication is one thing, and certainly is and should be criminal. It's easy to criminalise things we disapprove of or find distasteful, but not necessarily right. I think simply calling someone a n****r, or even a black cunt, falls in line with freedom of expression personally. Perfectly right that people are judged for it, and that institutions deem it worthy of sanction when it goes against their ethos, but not the law IMO.

Absolutely

More should be done to protect those that receive abuse (ability to block users) but I can't agree with making racism on the internet illegal. If you publicly put yourself in front of the world you are going to attract idiots regardless and you can't lock up everyone that's a prick and if you did that's thin ice to complete censorship.

[BillobShaisley]

I'm with the South Park writters re: 'hate crimes'.

I don't really think the motivation factors make the inherrant crime any better/worse.

From a legal rather than philosophical basis an assault or incitement are already illegal, there's no need for further interpretation or guidance.

Freedom of thought and speech I'm not 100% clear on. Hollocaust denial is an offence (civil or criminal?) for example, using the N-Bomb must be at a similar level of almost universal acknoledgement of wrongness. While I can't realy justify the right to air such views, I am still a little uncomfortable about banning the articulation of opinions as a fundamental principle.

[Chrono]

I think Holocaust denial is a ridiculous thing. Only an idiot would suggest it didn't happen but I don't agree that you shouldn't be able to say as much.