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Q: Reg. Burning Flags/Poppy's
tysonstorm
Posts: 24,609 Forum Member
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Don't worry this isn't an inflammatory thread nor is it anything to do with the Daily Heil etc however I need something clearing up.
Having had a heated argument on Facebook with a friend about this issue I need clarification on this.
Can you or can you not be jailed for burning a flag and/or poppy and is it considered a hate crime? Now I said whilst it is hateful it's not a hate crime and therefore you cant be charged with anything. However my friend who will be named "x" believes that people have been arrested for burning flags and that it is illegal to burn them. Am I wrong?
The viral status that was posted has since been deleted but it is to do with that young kid who was being done on religious hatred grounds for burning a Koran.
I don't want any arguments or any trolling. Thank you.
Having had a heated argument on Facebook with a friend about this issue I need clarification on this.
Can you or can you not be jailed for burning a flag and/or poppy and is it considered a hate crime? Now I said whilst it is hateful it's not a hate crime and therefore you cant be charged with anything. However my friend who will be named "x" believes that people have been arrested for burning flags and that it is illegal to burn them. Am I wrong?
The viral status that was posted has since been deleted but it is to do with that young kid who was being done on religious hatred grounds for burning a Koran.
I don't want any arguments or any trolling. Thank you.
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Comments
The Poppy is not considered to be a religious or a national symbol and I find it hard to believe there is any court in the UK that would jail you for burning the Union Flag either.
Most people gloss over this when complaining that that Qu'ran book burning girl was arrested and nothing ever happens to the extremist Muslimz.
I just think sometimes respect to something considered sacred is more important than freedom of expression and the law should recognise this.
I'm just going to leave it at that though so apologies if I don't respond to any replies to this post, but it's something that has been debated to death now and I have no intention of discussing it further.
That's just the conclusion I've reached. Ban both.
Yes, but their intent in burning the Poppies was to cause the exact same offence as the girl who burned the fairy-stories, ergo they should both be treated as the same legal offence.
Poppies aren't national symbols in the same way as flags.
I would also personally say religious books are different by nature.. but that's just me.
People have to understand though that not everyone holds the Poppy or the Koran in such high regard, there are those out there to whom it means nothing. Those who wish to protest and do so by burning the symbol.
And they should be allowed to do so, no matter how much I might personally disagree with burning either, but that is in essence what those who died during the two world wars did so for.
But yes, there are times when people will fall foul of the Public Order act, and that is only right too. It is a fine line that has to be walked.
Burning anything in a public place would be a public order offence, a poppy or a flag would be no different.
Well not anything. The public order act does not specificity mention burning...
Their argument was that is is because it's hateful and therefore a hate crime. And that people had been arrested for burning a flag.
TBH I actually had my blinkers opened today because I never thought this person would be as stupid as to spread which was infact a hateful viral status with racist undertones.
It felt like one of those arguments where you start to doubt yourself and question your own knowledge on these kind of issues.
I say ban Facebook.
I know it is stupid.
It just shocked me that someone who I held in high regard, was very intelligent would have an attitude I'd expect from your average Daily Mail reader.
Then they are mad, it costs a fortune from HMSO...
The public order act probably doesn't cover people casually using swearwords (ie. not shouting and raving), but if the police don't like someone they still do them for it.
If you set fire to something in the high street, you will get arrested..
That's the trouble with Facebook, you find out things about people life would probably have otherwise been fine had you not.
Fear, alarm and distress... Those are the key words.
Basically, yes
If you were to light a fire in a public place in any other situation than a professionally organised bonfire (ie. guy fawks night), you'll be done for it!
I think after all this faff on I'll be ditching Facebook. Too stressful falling out with friends over issues like this.
Because of that you ditch Facebook? I mean.. really?
You should probably ditch DS too in that case, maybe even real life if you can't cope that much! :eek:
I see all sorts of crap on Facebook and ignore the stuff I either don't like or isn't relevant.
Maybe you don't realise this.. but this woud have been worse in real life (you do have arguments in real life too don't you?) and could have led to a heated argument. Facebook would be a safer medium
What happened to the Muslim boy that threatened the girl, the authorities deemed that it wasn't a serious threat and didn't warrant any intervention.
The still went down to the school and indoctrinated the pupils with how it is wrong to burn a Koran on face book, which is a matter of opinion no a fact.