Terrorists And Pedophiles Get More Protection In UK Than Guy Who Hosted Links To TV Shows

from the terrrorists-don't-bother-the-MPAA dept

For a while now, we've been following the ridiculous story of Richard O'Dwyer, the student in the UK who the US is trying to extradite to face criminal charges, all because he created a website where people linked to streaming TV shows (some legal, some not). At no time did he host illegal content. He just built the site. While the public has spoken out against the extradition, the Home Office, led by Home Secretary Theresa May, has so far held fast to sending O'Dwyer across the Atlantic.

Given all that, it's interesting to see this story, sent over by PressurCookrTheatr, highlighting the kinds of folks that Theresa May and the UK Home Office have refused to extradite over the last few years. It turns out it's a large and growing number, and even includes some terrorists. In those cases, however, May has magically decided that there are "human rights" reasons to keep them in the UK.
  • In 2011, at least one terrorist – and possibly up to four – was allowed to stay, as well as up to eight killers and rapists. Also among the total were 20 robbers and up to eight paedophiles, plus as many as four people convicted of firearms offences.
  • In 2010, the Home Office conceded in the cases of up to four murderers and up to four people convicted of manslaughter, as well as up to four rapists, up to eight paedophiles and 43 people convicted of violent crime or robbery.
That's from The Telegraph, which found out that and much more via a Freedom of Information Act request. The article has a lot more detail, but it seems pretty clear that May and the UK government have rejected extradition on all sorts of cases involving people accused of all sorts of horrible things. But when it comes to O'Dwyer? Well, you know, the MPAA is upset with him, so he's gotta go...

Apparently many of these decisions were made to avoid violating the Human Rights Act. For example, one guy, a Ukrainian accused of running "Britain's biggest sham marriage racket," has avoided extradition because he has two kids in the UK. What O'Dwyer should have been doing, instead of fighting extradition through legal means, was knocking someone up so he had a kid in the UK to convince Theresa May that he should stay.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: extradition, richard o'dwyer, theresa may, uk
Companies: mpaa


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:27pm

    What O'Dwyer should have been doing, instead of fighting extradition through legal means, was knocking someone up so he had a kid in the UK to convince Theresa May that he should stay.

    You have a valid point. Moreso because the age of consent is 16 or 17 there. Which means he legally could have been covering his ass whilst on his criminal rampage against artists, children and very small, fuzzy animals which are a threat to noone.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike42 (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:36pm

      Re:

      The age of consent is 17 in most US states as well.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Rabbit80, 23 Jul 2012 @ 2:31pm

        Re: Re:

        The age of consent is 16 here, but 16 year olds are treated as juveniles in court.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Dave (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 6:15pm

      Re: Think about it!

      I'm not particularly sexist, well, maybe a little. It seems to me, from what I've read lately, that the most vehement maximalists in public office, and the persons most likely to slam a defendant, are female. I wonder why.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 8:00pm

        Re: Re: Think about it!

        Getting to the top usually requires alpha male asshattery. For a women it requires the same degree of alpha male asshattery plus a little more to make up for the fact that being a women makes her alpha maleness suspect to the other alpha male-esque arse hats.

        It's just unlikely that females who are not alpha male-esque arse hats, or willing to act like one for a living, will make it to the top as easily and readily as those who are alpha male-esque, which usually means having a punative authoritarian outlook.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    silverscarcat (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:30pm

    Obviously...

    The MPAA is more important than the safety of children.

    You know...

    For the children and all that.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      MrWilson, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:40pm

      Re: Obviously...

      I don't see the children making large campaign contributions or offering their lawyers to fill up the Department of Justice.

      If they wanted advocacy, the children should have paid for it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Keii (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:33pm

    Murdering someone is okay as long as you don't copy their MP3s.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:37pm

      Re:

      All it takes to get placed on the US Sex Predator List is place a bumper sticker on your car with sexual suggestions or curse some one with sex suggestions.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      weneedhelp (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:39pm

      Re:

      Copying their MP3's IS murder.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:50pm

        Re: Re:

        Copying their MP3s is WORSE than murder. After all, you can only kill them once...

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:51pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Worse than being a pedo, because you didn't endanger the child's profits.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        saulgoode (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:55pm

        Re: Re:

        Not quite, jaywalking is murder, disturbing the peace is rape, and copying is theft (at least in the USAA, anyway).

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 6:53pm

        Re: Re:

        Duh.. Everyone knows copying music is far worse than genocide.

        Music Copying.
        Movie Copying.
        Software Copying.
        Torrents.
        File Sharing.
        or
        File Storage.
        Adolf Hitler.
        Serial Killers.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Zakida Paul (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:35pm

    It's bloody stupid

    We can't get rid of Abu Quatada (sp?) but we can't wait to get rid of Richard O'Dwyer. Theresa 'Brain Fart' May needs to get her priorities right. Who is the real bloody threat?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:39pm

    The answer is simple. None of those others committed crimes on the internet.

    If they were cyberterrorists, netkillers, virtual rapists, and e-dophiles, they'd definitely be extradited.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:59pm

      Re:

      He's just lucky he didn't post a critical opinion about a member of the royal family or a Kardashian-thingy or something like that.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      SujaOfJauhnral (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 1:39pm

      Re:

      No. The answer is even more simple.

      They're real criminals. Not made up "criminals" by the RIAA and MPAA.

      The idea is to protect the true criminals while locking away people who don't appeal to the interests of the MAFIAA (or whoever else wants them in jail)


      The irony is that the MAFIAA is made of ... You guessed it, criminals. What else could you call a group that scams/cheats/manipulates the populace (Out of their money or rights) on a regular basis?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dave, 24 Jul 2012 @ 11:38am

      Re: None of those others committed crimes on the internet

      O'Dwyer hasn't committed any crime on the internet - either here in in the USA!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    That One Guy (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:47pm

    Well, glad to see they have their priorities straight

    Commit a crime with measurable, verifiable damage, potentially causing serious physiological and/or physical harm(up to and including death) to a person for the rest of their life?

    The justice system in-country can deal with them, shipping them off to another country would be a violation of their rights.

    Don't break any laws in the country you're in, but possibly cause unmeasurable, unverifiable commercial harm to a company in another country?

    Ship 'em on over, they have to be taught a lesson!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Karim, 23 Jul 2012 @ 12:55pm

    Yawn...

    Smurgle wurgle what about the rights of his victims schmoo schmoo the law is the law, what don't you understand Pirate Mike, you [insert random insult]

    Smeagol McPheagol pay for his crimes, hosting a link site is morally equivalent to mass child-murder-rape-theftography..

    Should it legal for [insert completely moronic analogy here]?

    Blah pirate apologist Mike the [insert another random insult] You just don't want a debate.

    Idoits and ratards. The lot of you.

    Sincerely,

    OooMPAA LooMPAA

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 1:15pm

    like already stated, this is being done at the behest of the US entertainment industries, not because he has done any thing illegal. certainly, nothing he has done is illegal in the UK. i am just waiting to see exactly what excuses are used to condone the decisions to not extradite those mentioned. May and the UK government should be ashamed of themselves for what they are doing to this guy and all because of little plastic discs with information on them!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 2:18pm

      Re:

      It might be the lack of international civil courts causing the governments to overleap their jurisdictions by such large margins?

      There is something to be said about making international enforcement of civil matters possible in one way or another. If that is not possible, most of the IPR-ideology is threatened on its mere existance, since whoever goes against the IPR-ideology will create safe havens for some illegal copying
      Other ways to combat illegal copying is through criminalizing it on a state level and get sufficient extradition maximalism deals, to block for access to certain sites from the ISPs or isolate the site by removing it from search-results (DMCA-takedowns) and secondary linking (This articles case seems to be a fake to force the site to close down).

      The ISP-blockings and isolations are being pursued at the moment, with very limited effect. If the current IPR-regime is gonna stay a possibility in the future something has to happen! Since China and India are against it, we will not be able to see the international political solutions and even though ACTA is a way to try and puch them closer to western IPR-enforcement, ACTA is just waaay too specific in substatial demands. Western world will have to accept a far less maximalist position on IPR to get China and India on the boat, but as long as China and India are not on the boat, the industries will be adamently defending the current laws from getting weakened in any way. You see the bad cycle?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Tunnen (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 1:17pm

    What O'Dwyer should have been doing, instead of fighting extradition through legal means, was knocking someone up so he had a kid in the UK to convince Theresa May that he should stay.

    Isn't that was Assange tried? But if Plan A doesn't work, you can always try running to a foreign embassy and hope that they'll stand up for you.

    (I kid =P)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 1:28pm

      Re:

      Isn't that was Assange tried? But if Plan A doesn't work, you can always try running to a foreign embassy and hope that they'll stand up for you.

      A job a fox news (motto: "we just make this shit up") is waiting for you.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Violated (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 1:49pm

    Murder less than Copyright

    Richard O'Dwyer I suspect needs a few more years of relationship development before he stands much hope of knocking up a girl. Too many years stuck on computer on a forever alone path.

    Still wives and kids have never been a factor when it comes to the RIAA and MPAA. We may recall Capital Records versus Jammie Thomas-Rasset a single mom of 3 kids. Or how about the MPAA/DoJ/FBI wanting to charge Kim's wife even if she was never a director in Mega. Kim was also lucky the Judge allowed him home to be there for the birth of his twins when guess who never wanted him released.

    So I don't think it would work well for copyright meaning that Richard would need to murder someone in the US first before he could try for that defence.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      SujaOfJauhnral (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 1:52pm

      Re: Murder less than Copyright

      Richard O'Dwyer I suspect needs a few more years of relationship development before he stands much hope of knocking up a girl. Too many years stuck on computer on a forever alone path.

      Hmpf. You say it like there's no such thing as women in his same boat. I personally find geekiness a huge turn-on and 'outgoing' men bore me.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    gorehound (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 2:31pm

    Pretty Disgusting stuff.Really wish more people realized what the Big Content Industry, Copyright Maximalists, and Governments are doing to them.
    Time is ripe for a Revolution.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 2:39pm

      Re:

      What kind of revolution? One were we better educate people on the BS copyright laws and starting a LEGISLATIVE revolution is fantastic.

      If it's the bloody kind count me out of that madness. All that can lead to is suffering.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 8:20pm

        Re: Re:

        Because the colonies LEGISLATED themselves out of British control, right?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous, 23 Jul 2012 @ 2:35pm

    Since when is being a "paedophile" a criminal offense?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 4:47pm

      Re:

      Probably the same day pedophilia became criminal

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 4:50pm

        Re: Re:

        Perhaps your point is the same as mine: pedophilia, or merely being a pedophile, is not a criminal offense.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The eejit (profile), 24 Jul 2012 @ 1:52am

      Re:

      Paedophilia became a criminal offence with the introduction of the Sexual Offender Act, way back when. Paedophilia was the hipster moral panic. Remember that it was only last century that weddings had to have an age of consent in most of the Western Anglophone world.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 4:32am

        Re: Re:

        Age of Consent... First introduced in England around 1275. Spread to most of Europe throughout the 16th century, and enacted in the US in 1890s. CURRENT AoC in the US wasn't settled around 16-18 until around 1920.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Ninja (profile), 24 Jul 2012 @ 4:39am

          Re: Re: Re:

          And while I prefer women over their 25ies (less childish) I must argue that ususaly by the age of 14 (sometimes earlier) they are already developed and ready for action. 18 is an artificial and stupid limit. 14 would be the proper limit.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            nospacesorspecialcharacters (profile), 24 Jul 2012 @ 7:27am

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            You say that like you're commenting on livestock...

            May I humbly suggest that the age of consent is higher than 14 for the simple reasons of mental maturity, education and responsibility too?

            I know, I know, kids are doing it at that age (though a lot less than society thinks) but there are a lot of teenagers at that age who are still quite vulnerable. They should also be given a shot at making something of their life before they end up 25 years old with 5 kids, on the 3rd husband and a lifetime of regrets.

            A lot of teenagers, given the choice, do not make smart decision which is why there are laws in place to specifically keep them on the right track.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 25 Jul 2012 @ 6:09am

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            straight pedophile here

            link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 4:27am

      Re:

      A paedophile has committed paedophilia. Since the latter is illegal, a felony in fact, the former is thus a criminal. Someone who suffers from 'latent paedphilic urges' isn't necessarily a criminal until they act on those urges.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    clinton (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 3:49pm

    Obviously the US Judicial system doesn't grease the palms as well as the MPAA

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 4:30pm

    You left off that they kidnap and return dissidents back to be tortured in the countries they fled from.

    http://boingboing.net/2012/02/15/uk-govt-yes-we-kidnapped-p.html

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Duke (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 4:51pm

    Very frustrating

    As someone trying to campaign on extradition and human rights issues, this sort of story is very, very frustrating, because it completely misses the point, and it is rather disappointing that Mike has fallen for it. Actually, it misses several points:

    1 - This article is about deportation, which is completely different, both practically and legally, from extradition. Deportation is when a country kicks someone out because they don't want them, extradition is when a country gives someone to another country because the second country does want them.

    2 - Deportation is generally far less serious, so human rights factors are likely to be more significant. In an extradition case, the person is going somewhere to face trial for a sufficiently-serious crime. In deportation cases the person has usually done their time in prison, and in some cases, any conviction may well be spent. They are supposedly "safe".

    3 - Terrorists and paedophiles (and for the record, paedophilia isn't actually illegal in the UK) have precisely the same protections as anyone else. It is a common criticism of European Human Rights law that is provides greater protection to "evil criminals" than ordinary citizens, but legally this is complete nonsense. What happens is that it is the "evil criminals" who are far more likely to suffer abuses or interferences of these rights, as these are the people states tend to want to do nasty things to. The only way we can guarantee that Human Rights actually apply to all of us is to ensure that they apply to everyone, including the worst elements of society.

    4 - Even if she wanted to, Theresa May doesn't have the legal power to block O'Dwyer's extradition! Extradition (in the UK) is a legal process governed by a law. She can't simply say "We're not going to extradite him because we don't feel like it", she has a list of (5) very specific grounds on which she can block extradition. No more, no less. Human Rights issues are not one of them (although as a public authority she must act compatibly with the ECHR when making decisions). And surely this must be right? We don't want ministers having huge discretion over a legal process, particularly given their political, rather than judicial background.

    5 - O'Dwyer's situation is pretty terrible and seemingly unjust... but it is a legal situation and has a legal solution; hence he is going before the High Court next week (iirc) to argue, on legal grounds, that he shouldn't be extradited (on the basis of dual criminality and possibly human rights grounds). Hopefully he will win his appeal.

    6 - Perhaps most importantly, this article isn't about attacking extradition or deportation, this article is about attacking Human Rights (something the UK press hate, as they keep losing cases under the HRA). It is yet another in a long line of cheap shots taken by the UK newspapers against the fundamental freedoms that they seem to hate so much. Any individual who would like to maintain these rights should have nothing but contempt for this sort of biased, manipulative and self-serving journalism.

    Right... that's enough ranting from me, for now.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      G Thompson (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 6:53pm

      Re: Very frustrating

      I keep trying to click insightful though sadly it only allows one click per user/session.

      So here are +1000 insightful's and a huge "at last someone explains what the law really states without hyperbole and FUD from media and vested interests" award.

      ---

      The only good thing I can see coming out of the media's portrayal of Mr O'Dwyer's case is that at least it has in some respect drawn public attention (however brief that wil realistically be) to the inequity of the USA's extradition treaties with the UK (and every other country).

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Duke (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 7:14pm

        Re: Re: Very frustrating

        Thank you.

        Also, the US/UK extradition treaty isn't actually that imbalanced. The US doesn't have any special relationship, legally, as far as extradition goes; if you're interested, the last time I checked the list of countries in exactly the same position as the US was something like this. They're mostly countries that aren't in the EU, but are either in within the scope of the ECHR or that we trust enough to have fairly decent criminal justice systems and respect for the rule of law.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          G Thompson (profile), 23 Jul 2012 @ 9:13pm

          Re: Re: Re: Very frustrating

          Thanks for that list, though I and now intrigued as to why not all commonwealth countries are included on that list and surprised at others that are (Croatia/Serbia).

          My concern with the USA extradition treatise isn't to do with the actual evidence requirements or the structure of procedural fairness within the jurisdictions (when it comes down to it the ones on that list are 99.99% of the time extremely reasonable and correct), it is more to the lack of reciprocity with the USA for the extradition of citizens from the USA. That's my biggest gripe.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymouse Cow Horde, 24 Jul 2012 @ 12:44am

          Re: Re: Re: Very frustrating

          Also, the US/UK extradition treaty isn't actually that imbalanced.

          The US just has to say that someone must be extradited and UK has to do it, while the UK has to prove in a US court that someone must be extradited to the UK! Balanced?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            Duke (profile), 24 Jul 2012 @ 4:24am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Very frustrating

            Not really... Extradition law is rather complex, as it tends to come from treaties rather than acts, but if you're interested:

            Extraditions from the UK to the US are governed by Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003, extraditions from the US are generally governed by 18 USC Chapter 209, but that mainly refers to treaties, which in the US/UK case, appears to be this one, Article 8 being the important part.

            The main imbalance seems to have been from 2004-2007, when the UK had put in place its law, but the US hadn't ratified the new treaty; as such extradition from the US required "probable cause evidence", whereas extradition from the UK only required "information satisfying the reasonable suspicion test". However, now the US has ratified the treaty, their side goes down to "information satisfying the probable cause test".

            The 2011 independent review of UK extradition law (which can be found here) examined the US/UK extradition situation in detail (in part 7) and concluded that there was "no significant difference between the [tests]" and that the difference is "semantic rather than substantive" (see 7.42-7.44). The review also concluded that many of the criticisms raised of the 2003 treaty were actually about the previous treaties, or over the US criminal justice system in general.

            That part is worth a skim if you're interested in this area of law.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 5:22pm

    UK Strategic Export Control Lists - the consolidated list of strategic military and Dual-Use items
    Current version of the Consolidated List

    Ref: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/eco/docs/control-lists/uk-consolidated-list.pdf



    ANNEXES II and III of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005
    as amended by Regulation (EU) No 1352/2011


    Lists referred to in Articles 3, 4 and 5.


    LIST OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND TORTURE GOODS

    This list implements controls on capital punishment and torture goods as specified by
    Council Regulation (EC) 1236/2005, pursuant to Article 6 of the Treaty on European
    Union (respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms) and other European
    Charters, Declarations and Resolutions to such regard.


    ANNEX III

    List of goods referred to in Article 5

    1. Goods designed for restraining human beings, as follows:

    1.1. Restraint chairs and shackle boards;
    Note: This item does not control restraint chairs designed for disabled persons.

    1.2. Leg-irons, gang-chains, shackles and individual cuffs or shackle bracelets;

    Note: This item does not control �ordinary handcuffs�. Ordinary handcuffs are handcuffs which have an overall dimension including chain, measured from the outer edge of one cuff to the outer edge of the other cuff, between 150 and 280 mm when locked and have not been modified to cause physical pain or suffering.




    INAL reading on this makes look like as the USA Justice system use body restraints.
    (Examples: http://www.pxdirect.com/Restraints-Torso.htm
    http://www.zimbio.com/Amber+Portwood/articles/AsVy5SxQ 9Vu/Teen+Mom+Amber+Portwood+prison+jumpsuit )

    Will be a breech of his Right under Article 6 of the Treaty on European
    Union (respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms) as so there for the Home Secretary should not be allowing the extradition.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 6:42pm

    "Terrorists"

    You know what I find interesting. Whenever a 'white' person does something, like the Colorado shooting, Columbine, the overwhelming majority of serial killers, Unabomber, Green River Killer, the Twinkie Defense, Timothy McVeigh, the media almost portrays them as a historical icon to be remembered for a long time. Psychologists and psychoanalysts will be contemplating their behavior for a long time.

    If it's an Arab or an African American or some other race that did it, they would be referred to as terrorists, depraved, etc... terrorist organizations. This is the rule, not the exception, and this is a coordinated effort by some organization to attack Americans.

    Why isn't the KKK considered a terrorist organization? Because they're white? What's the difference between them and al-Qaeda?

    I'm not saying anything against white people in general, just that the media portrays them differently when they do something. When a white person does it they're mentally insane, extremists, outliers. This is the exception, not the rule, and it was a spur of the moment isolated event. When someone else does it it's a preplanned concerted effort by some (terrorist) organization with an ongoing agenda.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 6:44pm

      Re:

      isolated incident *

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 6:49pm

      Re:

      and I understand that this is an overly exaggerated simplification, but the point is that we should be careful how we throw the word "terrorist". We need to make sure buzzwords like this aren't used based on the race engaging in an act, and that they're not defined around the action that a certain group does (and away from another violent action or type of violent behavior that another group does or engages in).

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 6:37am

      Re:

      almost always *

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 7:38am

      Re:

      Oh, and another common one used besides terrorists, that I left out, is 'thugs'.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 8:28pm

    Your entire article not only seems to assume that everyone who is accused of something is automatically guilty of it, it also completely misses the point of the protection that you are bitching about. Let's rewrite your headline so it's accurate:

    People Whose Human Rights Would be Violated By the United States, Either Before or After Conviction Get (and Need) More Protection In UK Than Guy Whose Human Rights Would Not be Violated By the United States

    You're welcome.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2012 @ 9:35pm

      Re:

      Wait, what?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymouse Cow Horde, 24 Jul 2012 @ 12:00am

      Re:

      So... the criminals, the terrorists, the pedophiles, the rapists etc. etc. have human rights, but one guy that's not guilty of any criminal activity, doesn't?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2012 @ 2:02am

    I find it scary that the British people let their own government do this to one of their own.

    THIS IS A FUCKING SHAME!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    peter, 24 Jul 2012 @ 4:05am

    The real reason..

    ...is that terrorists don't contribute to Political Parties.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    the MAFIAA, 24 Jul 2012 @ 5:08am

    It's simple. we paid her off

    We've done what we did in other countries - simply bribe government officials and offer her a job when she gets done with government.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    anna t (profile), 5 Sep 2012 @ 7:08am

    Pedophiles in England?

    Seems that Pedophiles, when they grow tired of the children they abuse then choose to place the victim (once the victim is too old for the pedophile) into the sex industry. This heaps more pain on an already abused and not healed victim of pedophiles.
    And it seems that the pedophiles populate England at the highest levels of society.
    How come England goes all out to prosecute child care workers (and they should be prosecuted) who were Pedophiles.
    YET England hushes up people at the highest levels in the Judiciary and the government who ARE Pedophiles and yet who never face trial?
    The system is corrupt.
    And the victims are the poor children who are raped and abused by these pedophiles.
    Legalising prostitution only entrenches the depraved pedophiles who discard their cast-offs to send these abused victims into prostitution.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.