Lucifer Baphomet

Possibly the most fucked up news story on gay rights yet.

Video: Anti-Gay Protesters Threaten to Rape 'Gay Day' Supporter

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Teeny Leviathan

Ok, how long until someone tries to link this to Obama?

AshaSekayi Ra

It is silly to me that a person can be caught making those kinds of statements and hide behind free speech. It sounded like a real threat to me, especially since they recorded her license plate number.

Lucifer Baphomet

Very definitely a real threat.

These fucks need prosecuted.

And the cops in Grand Rapids need to be disciplined, and investigated.

Morgoth

Is a threat really covered under 'free speech'? WTF if so.

Eris

What would happen to you "back in the day" for saying shit like that?

Lucifer Baphomet

I'd think that in England and Wales, that would most definitely count as assault.

Not sure what it would qualify as under Scots law

Teeny Leviathan

I wonder why whoever shot the clip didn't show the dude's face?

Edit: I haven't seen the full clip yet, and for some reason, the article doesn't link to the YouTube clip.

Second edit: It appears that the user has removed YouTube clip.

Wrong Weatherwax

Man, I don't know... that's pretty much a set of bald faced threats and First Amendment protections don't extend to infringing the rights of others in the process. To be honest, the cop should have arrested those making the threats.

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An education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on. -Terry Pratchett

detrius

Maybe nobody told the cops that the guys were black? [/sarcasm]

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Innula Zenovka

It's not an assault, because that involves some form of physical contact. There's certainly some Public Order Act and Protection from Harassment Act offences there, though. They would get their collar felt over here, I am sure.

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Tess Whitcroft

Actually physical contact is Battery. The creditable threat can be assault.

In law, assault is a crime which involves causing a victim to apprehend violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more limited sense of a threat of violence caused by an immediate show of force.

Tess

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Studies have shown that people who have more birthdays live longer

Tracer Graves

Just plain "assault", as a criminal offense, does not necessitate actual contact or injury, just the threat.

From assault legal definition of assault. assault synonyms by the Free Online Law Dictionary., assault is defined as:

"At Common Law, an intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact."

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Aliselia Aeon

Grand Rapids has historically been extremely conservative and predominately Dutch Reformed church. I went to art school there for a while and hated the place. I can't begin to express how much I hated the place. The Dutch Reformed church pretty much controlled the city at that time. I haven't been back in a long time so I don't know if it's still as true as it was, but I hear it's still extremely conservative.

Also: The cops there threatened to arrest me for soliciting because they caught me hitchhiking.

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"Push 100cc of Social Skills, stat!" ~Casey Pelous

Lucifer Baphomet

No Innula, under English law no contact is necessary.


Exact.

Scottish law doesn't use the term battery, and what is termed assault here does however require physical contact.

English law however follows the Assault/battery model.

Innula Zenovka

You're right, of course. It's just that I can't imagine when you'd charge someone with assault for doing something that didn't involve physical contact because, if it's serious enough to charge somebody, there's almost always more serious and more appropriate to charge them with. It's more shaking your fist just under someone's nose than threatening to come round and rape them.

Certainly in this example I can't imagine it would be used.

Soen Eber

The police officers did not observe the threats, so it became a case of "he said / she said" I suspect. At the end of the video the newsreader stated the police department is holding an active investigation into the threats.

Its unlikely the entire video avoided head shots. I wouldn't doubt that a condition for the news department to use the video during an active investigation is to not show anything that could identify the people involved, perhaps to keep a potential jury from being tainted? That could also be why the youtube video was pulled.

Eris

Teeny Leviathan

If there was only some way we could get these idiots to fight the Westboro idiots.

Maggiedoll Alter

Given how many people apparently believe that free speech dictates that somebody else has to pay to broadcast your opinions...

Jack Belvedere

Aw, what a bunch of nice people they sound like. Those anti-gay folks are just so pleasant to hang around. I'd put them right up there with the anti-abortion crowd that pickets Planned Parenthood. I really enjoy the lovely red signs they carry around and their friendly greetings to visitors. The world is a better place when people gather and help show the beauty of man spirit by putting such effort into making everyone else feel special. Surely God has a special place for those who care so much to show so much attention. I wouldn't say they're quite as awesome and pleasant as that one group that wears the white hooded sheets and generously welcomes new neighbors with bonfire parties, but they're close! You know, what I hate is those damn whiny hippies always going on about equality and snubbing people just because they are white Christian men! DAMN HIPPIES GET OFF MY LAWN






(thought I'd do something special with my 1500th post)