[ssoass]

Five men and a 15-year-old youth have been arrested in East Renfrewshire and Glasgow after anti-Semitic remarks were posted on social network site Facebook. Almost 50 police officers raided seven addresses after complaints from members of the Jewish community in Giffnock. It followed a number of offensive posts on a page entitled: "Welcome to Israel, only kidding you're in Giffnock." The six people arrested were charged with a breach of the peace with religious and racial aggravations. Hate crimes One other man was detained and later released without charge pending further inquiry. Ch Insp Alan Murray, of Strathclyde Police, said: "This was a very complex and protracted inquiry that required assistance from many departments of Strathclyde Police and the support of the procurator fiscal at Paisley. "I hope it clearly demonstrates that Strathclyde Police will not tolerate hate crimes of any kind. "It should cause anyone who believes they can get away with this sort of behaviour to think again." The Community Security Trust (CST), which helps protect the Jewish community in the UK, said: "CST welcomes the arrests of suspects regarding alleged anti-Semitic statements. "Glaswegian Jews should be reassured that local police take anti-Semitism seriously, and that they are working with CST and the rest of the Jewish community in tackling it when it does arise. "The spread of all types of hatred on social networking sites and similar media is a growing problem, so, it is hoped that this innovative investigation will provide a helpful precedent for all of society."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...-west-18087379

These are supposedly some of the comments the arrests were made over:

Its creator joked: "They have a Gaelic translation in the train station, Hebrew would have been more appropriate." Fans of the page posted comments ranging from "Jewish scum" to "F*** the Jewish Zionist" while another person wrote: "Hebrew is not needed in the train station [because] all the Jews are f***ing rich c**** they have gold plated Bentleys."

Very ignorant and racist comments but I find it pretty crazy how they sent 50 cops to make arrests over this.

I agree with the idea of discouraging hate speech but I don't think arresting people over Facebook comments is the best way to go about it.

I've seen so many vulgarly racist comments over my time on the internet, should all those people be retroactively arrested?

[Sorc3r3r]

No place to hide

[Napoleonthechimp]

I don't agree with the anti-Semitic comments but arresting people for saying it? Fuck off.

[SmokyDave]

I wonder what will happen if thousands upon thousands of people begin to demand the prosecution of others over Facebook comments. I wonder how our system will deal with it if they carry on assigning disproportionate manpower. Interesting times ahead.

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

You'd think the police would have better things to do than arrest people for making comments, even if the comments were very ugly.

[Napoleonthechimp]

People have said tons of hateful things to me in the past and even used to beat me repeatedly, but no one bothered to arrest them. The laws surrounding "hate crimes" are bullshit.

[industrian]

Considering that Jews are a rather hidden demographic in Scotland (around 0.1% of the population), I applaud the police for taking this seriously.

I wonder what will happen if thousands upon thousands of people begin to demand the prosecution of others over Facebook comments. I wonder how our system will deal with it if they carry on assigning disproportionate manpower. Interesting times ahead.

It implies that this was a specific page on Facebook set up for hate speech and not just a bunch of fuckheads who don't know how privacy settings work just running their mouths.

[leadbelly]

Its creator joked: "They have a Gaelic translation in the train station, Hebrew would have been more appropriate."

I'm kind of wondering what exactly was meant by this joke. I'm not sure of the context of it. It just sounds kind of inflammatory to me.

I'm not condoning what those people said of course, those were pretty horrible comments, it's just that I don't get the meaning or purpose of that 'joke'.

[cloud_sleep]

First they came for the people who hate the Jews...

[Computer]

Not a fan of thoughtcrime.

[apana]

I'm not sure how much these laws exactly work but I agree that we should take hate crimes and hate groups on the internet very seriously. This is one of those situations where I can't really say I am in favor of the law but I'm not going to lose any sleep over the end result in this particular instance.

[industrian]

I'm kind of wondering what exactly was meant by this joke. I'm not sure of the context of it. It just sounds kind of inflammatory to me. I'm not condoning what those people said of course, those were pretty horrible comments, it's just that I don't get the meaning or purpose of that 'joke'.

It sort-of implies conquest of native speakers. Compare with "jokes" regarding putting up signs in Spanish in America.

[Jimothy]

This is fucking stupid. Next time Britain accuses China or anyone else of human rights abuses, I will laugh heartily.

[leadbelly]

It sort-of implies conquest of native speakers. Compare with "jokes" regarding putting up signs in Spanish in America.

Yeah. I was thinking that.

I also thought it could be referring to how small the Jewish community is in Giffnock. A ludicrous claim that Hebrew is more appropriate when really the Jewish population is tiny. However, Giffnock is home to Scotland's largest population of Jews, so I'm not sure it works in that sense.

There just seems to be an antagonistic tone to it.

[KHarvey16]

I'm kind of wondering what exactly was meant by this joke. I'm not sure of the context of it. It just sounds kind of inflammatory to me. I'm not condoning what those people said of course, those were pretty horrible comments, it's just that I don't get the meaning or purpose of that 'joke'.

Holocaust joke.

[SUPREME1]

"They have gold plated bentleys."




LMAO!



Edit: Don't come for me Glasgow coppers!

[leadbelly]

Holocaust joke.

As in they are taken to the train station to be shipped off to concentration camps? Could be that. I would still see that as kind of antagonistic though. Something that might spark a reaction.

[EdibleExplosives]

Just wait til they start kicking down people's doors for youtube comments.

[low-G]

Not a fan of thoughtcrime.

This is saycrime.



:3

[WeAreStarStuff]

50 police officers? Seriously? I'm always amazed at the number of cops that show up for the smallest things...seriously an entire army of police officers with assault rifles will go through the door of some teens smoking weed....I don't get it.

[boutrosinit]

People have said tons of hateful things to me in the past and even used to beat me repeatedly, but no one bothered to arrest them. The laws surrounding "hate crimes" are bullshit.

Agreed. You don't see them arresting any NLP members.

Anti-racism is racist.

[Mammoth Jones]

That's a really shitty law. You can't have free speech if a society arrests people for typing shit it doesn't like.

[davepoobond]

Just wait til they start kicking down people's doors for youtube comments.

where does it end?

"you said something mean about Whitney Houston!"

"you can't say that about Britney Spears! She's a very nice lady!"

[Kinyou]

"Glaswegian Jews should be reassured that local police take anti-Semitism seriously, and that they are working with CST and the rest of the Jewish community in tackling it when it does arise.

I don't think this will really help against antisemitism. Will probably just fuel stupid statements like "Jews control the government" etc.

[Tamanon]

Horrid people. Horrid policy that it's illegal what they're doing.

[demon]

what the fu*k is up with the UK and this crazy orwellian shit?

[Hari Seldon]

That isn't very much "racism". They said there are a lot of Jews in this town, and they are probably too wealthy to need to use the train station. Is anyone offended by being stereotyped as wealthy?

[ZiZ]

would they have moved a finger if it were any other race?

[Bombadil]

I don't agree with arresting people over this but haven't you guys ever read some bullshit on your FB wall, posted by an acquaintance who you don't really like but somehow happen to have on your friend's list, and wanted that person to get a comeuppance?

[Sir Fragula]

I don't agree with arresting people over this but haven't you guys ever read some bullshit on your FB wall, posted by an acquaintance who you don't really like but somehow happen to have on your friend's list, and wanted that person to get a comeuppance?

Yes, but that comeuppance comes in the form of being de-friended.

Getting the police involved in this is far more insulting than the "crime" that was "committed".

[nib95]

What the hell. I've seen and read much worse in certain FB groups and pages towards all sorts of races or minorities. 50 cops for this? Really? I would have thought just deleting or banning the page would be sufficient.

I hope the Police don't check comments on YT video's and the like. But yea, fine line. If the racist comments were in person, would be totally different. But some random comments on FB seem a bit much.

[Kurtofan]

what the fu*k is up with the UK and this crazy orwellian shit?

I'm pretty sure you can get arrested/fined for hate speech in most countries of the European Union.

I don't know if Internet comments are considered speech in other countries, so I don't know if the UK is a unique case.

[Tamanon]

I'm pretty sure you can get arrested/fined for hate speech in most countries of the European Union. I don't know if Internet comments are considered speech in other countries, so I don't know if the UK is a unique case.

Xbox Live must not be very successful in the EU.

[demon]

I'm pretty sure you can get arrested/fined for hate speech in most countries of the European Union. I don't know if Internet comments are considered speech in other countries, so I don't know if the UK is a unique case.

Well it seems most of these stories come out of the UK, at least the ones I hear, hence my comment.

[Gentleman Jack]

I'm pretty sure you can get arrested/fined for hate speech in most countries of the European Union.

This is true.

But it's still fucked up orwellian bullshit.

[Phoenician_Viking]

Britain is going to far with this.

[Grimm Fandango]

Were they specifically threatening people with violence? Can't say I agree with them being arrested if no threats were said.

[Kinyou]

I'm pretty sure you can get arrested/fined for hate speech in most countries of the European Union. I don't know if Internet comments are considered speech in other countries, so I don't know if the UK is a unique case.

It seems quite more extreme than in Germany. And I always thought that we were the strictest when it comes to antisemitism, but I guess I was wrong.

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

To be fair, idiotic racial bigotry is par for the course in Glasgow, as much as I like the city. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those arrested were wearing Celtic or Rangers tops.

[LyleLanley]

That isn't very much "racism". They said there are a lot of Jews in this town, and they are probably too wealthy to need to use the train station. Is anyone offended by being stereotyped as wealthy?

"The average Jewish person in Glasgow is wealthy enough that they don't need to use the train station" is very different from "Hebrew is not needed in the train station [because] all the Jews are f***ing rich c**** they have gold plated Bentleys."

[DKehoe]

Never really thought of Glasgow as having any areas which are particularly Jewish. Odd (as well as obviously stupid) that someone even thought to make the group.

[ThisWreckage]

Arresting people for using racist, strong language? What a joke.