If you don’t read the article and think the Intercept is being hyperbolic as they normally are. Rest assured the title is exactly what happened. Walker was charged under terrorism laws not for planning, conspiring, nor performing acts of terrorism. The prosecutor made the argument that possessing the book was an act of terrorism. A book he downloaded from the school library. Also equally available on the Amazon and downloadable from internet since the dawn of the WWW.
How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
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Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#12If you don’t read the article and think the Intercept is being hyperbolic as they normally are. Rest assured the title is exactly what happened. Walker was charged under terrorism laws not for planning, conspiring, nor performing acts of terrorism. The prosecutor made the argument that possessing the book was an act of terrorism. A book he downloaded from the school library. Also equally available on the Amazon and d…
We have some pretty scary laws on the books here in the UK, not least in terms of chilling effects. Those of us who support human rights and generally democratic and civilised society have always expressed concern about broad reach and excessive powers and lack of effective oversight. Unfortunately our voice is not loud enough when fear is the opposition, even if that fear is mostly irrational and stoked more by the government and media than the bad guys. Sometimes I wonder who is really causing the most damage in the first place these days.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#13> Last summer, Walker traveled from London to Syria, where he joined the Kurdish-led YPG militia in its fight against the so-called Islamic State What a fucking stupid title.
How so? The prosecution had nothing to do with syria. That helped his case.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#14This stood out for me:
>> It was an issue of “personal responsibility,” he said, and it was the government’s view that possessing the book was unlawful, because it could be useful to terrorists.
The prosecution claimed it's about personal responsibility while trying to enforce a law that seems to deny people are entitled or able to exercise such a thing.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#15There is a creeping fascism in the western world. The so-called 'wars' on drugs and terrorism are used as excuses to remove personal freedoms. Governments take more powers unto themselves. The state security apparatus is allowed to spy on everyone. There is a presumption of guilt and citizens have to justify every trivial activity. The previous outlandish fictions of 'Thought Crime' and 'Pre-Crime' become facts of li…
Yes but he had traveled to Syria and fought their this isn't just downloading the book is it?
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#16Well at least he got off free. >Walker was accused of violating the Terrorism Act because he possessed information “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.” What a dumb law. I guess they could prosecute you for reading Wikipedia on that basis. More concise write up here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-41751193 The "possessed information" by the way was The Anarchist…
> The Anarchist Cookbook
I remember this being passed around between kids in the computer science lab on a floppy disk when I was about 13.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks! Countless idiotic commentators who've been led astray. If only you had spoken up earlier we would have seen the truth. What a relief.
Your snark doesn't make my comment less true.
His snark also does not make your comment true in the first place.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#18If you don’t read the article and think the Intercept is being hyperbolic as they normally are. Rest assured the title is exactly what happened. Walker was charged under terrorism laws not for planning, conspiring, nor performing acts of terrorism. The prosecutor made the argument that possessing the book was an act of terrorism. A book he downloaded from the school library. Also equally available on the Amazon and d…
If you don’t read the article and think the Intercept is being hyperbolic as they normally are. Rest assured the title is exactly what happened.
.. with the minor addition that he was initially arrested upon returning from helping a militia in the Middle East.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#19The UK govt is an absolute joke when it comes to justice. Bunch of self righteous cunts, mostly old decrepit females, ruining people's lives so they feel better about themselves.
Meanwhile real criminals and terrorists are ignored completely.
Re: How the U.K. Prosecuted a Student on Terrorism Charges for Downloading a Book
#20There is a creeping fascism in the western world. The so-called 'wars' on drugs and terrorism are used as excuses to remove personal freedoms. Governments take more powers unto themselves. The state security apparatus is allowed to spy on everyone. There is a presumption of guilt and citizens have to justify every trivial activity. The previous outlandish fictions of 'Thought Crime' and 'Pre-Crime' become facts of li…
Yeah but the long term trends are still positive https://ourworldindata.org/democracy/
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