EasyJet refuses to let columnist on board for sending critical tweet

This incident occurred within the EU, which has strict laws about airlines denying boarding, and the level of compensation they have to give if you are refused. "we don't have to give a reason and only have to give you your money back", would not be legal in the EU.

The full quote does not support your position. The limitation on public authority is included in the right, but it is not the limit of the right.

Article 10 – Freedom of expression

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.

2. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.

I can't stress how much I disagree with your comment, in my humble opinion, you have it all wrong.

> 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so fucking what. - A quote by Stephen Fry

In my viewing, it's the airline that got "offended" and is acting about, so that quote would apply more to the airline than to the reporter, as a company, you have to expect criticism, specially in this days.

> Free speech is one thing, but abuse of free speech is another. When you perform an action that negatively affects the sales of a company and if you expect to benefit from it, in return for which the company doesn't allow you, I think it's fair.

You can't abuse free speech, there are some things that are not guaranteed by free speech (you yell bomb on a plane, you can't accuse free speech afterwards), that said, I think this has little to do with free speech, that would be if there is a legal consequence but that is out of the question. Of course you know that your words can have consequences, but that in any way justifies the company's reaction, more on that next.

> You can't say Mcdonald's sucks and eat a burger from them (that would be hypocrisy).

How come not?? I don't like the service later, IMO the quality has gone down and I know that it is quite unhealthy, even so, every now and then, I want a burger from them, hypocrite would be to say I will never touch and mcdonalds again, boast about it and secretly eat it once a week.

> Stop thinking of the airlines as someone else and imagine if it was YOUR company. Imagine if you ran a cloud services company and this guy wrote a blogpost about why your company sucks (which negatively affects your sales) and then bought a dozen cloud servers from you. I would have no problem in refunding his money and revoking his service with a polite smile and a "Sorry", if it was my company.

So, that's you advice? Whenever you get criticized, you react by pushing back and "attacking" your (potential) customer and possible leader of opinion? Does this also apply when the criticism is true??

You are a public company, you are going to be criticized, probably the worst thing you can do is start fighting them back, if you screwed something up, you apologize and you try to make up for it, if it's unfunded criticism, the you try to explain that this is not the case, whatever you do, you do not confront and be aggressive.

>Imagine if you ran a cloud services company and this guy wrote a blogpost about why your company sucks (which negatively affects your sales) and then bought a dozen cloud servers from you.

I would try to give him so go and service that he would eventually write good things about me if he has any intellectual honesty, or to at least stop writing bad things about me, I can't see how childishly fighting back to help to achieve any of this?

Note: This comment may sound a little pedant, but it was not the intention, cordial discussion was the intended tone.

Having now read their small print there's actually nothing in there that would allow it.

Good point!