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Simon Neale's avatar

Excellent article. I grew up in a society shaped by ideas in Mill's *On Liberty* and Milton's *Areopagitica*. You could say or do whatever you liked, providing you didn't harm others. People might get upset, but that gave them no right to censor you; it was for them to deal with internally. It certainly did not mean that they were justified in attacking you with knives or threatening you with death.

I thought such ideas were sacrosanct - that they would be defended vigorously by those who competed for our votes, or whose vocation was the law. I was wrong. It seems that the ideas have been jettisoned because of an unintended consequence of a bad immigration policy. Those who should have protected our liberties were not up to it.

To get them back, I would support anyone, almost regardless of their other policies, and no matter how they got them back.

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Low Status Opinions's avatar

So useful. Thanks as ever JJ 👍

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Robert Davies's avatar

Mr Coskon is a political prisoner. Jailed not just for burning the holy book but not standing up against Turkey. He was held in Turkish jails as he does challenge that government. He was torchrted by the Turkish police. I here he is kurdish political activists.

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Lisa Brock's avatar

Has anyone protested outside an Anglican Church as a test to see what, if any, penalties would follow?

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D. N-W's avatar

Yes - and have been tried by the C of E Consistitory Court, with considerable fines imposed, together with Banning Orders/Injunction!

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D. N-W's avatar

So what happened with the legal ruling, handed down by a High Court Judge, stating that there is “no such right as ‘a right not to be offended’”? It now seems that there is such a de-facto “right to be offended”, but ONLY for Muslims! Despicable - this man’s conviction is grossly unjust!

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