Take a Liberty (Scotland) Petition Against the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill

[ian1964 10,626]

On Wednesday 14th December Take a Liberty (Scotland) founder Stuart Waiton will hand over the petition against the Offensive Behaviour Bill, which contains 3348 signatures.

As Waiton argues,

 

It is a serious problem for the moral credibility of the law, and the political credibility of the government that a law is about to be passed that could see someone imprisoned for up to five years, and yet many many people do not even think that there is a crime being committed here.

 

Looking at the comments made on the petition it is interesting to note the increasing argument about freedom of speech. Comments included, â??I simply believe in free speech, therefore I oppose the billâ??, and â??Bad, bad law. Anti-freedom of speech and freedom of thought legislationâ?? also, â??This legislation is so Machiavellian in nature it must be questioned and stopped ... Consign inquisitions to the dark agesâ??.

 

Roseanna Cunningham may like to present her Bill as forward thinking and very â??modernâ??. The above signatories clearly donâ??t see things that way.

 

Others who oppose the Bill see a form of political grandstanding taking place, and also a confused focus on fans rather than those who commit actual crimes. As they argue,

· I see more antisocial behaviour at concerts and in the taxi ranks at the weekend than I do at the football. I have been supporting Scottish football as a paying customer for more than 40 years and am seriously considering this to be my last season due to this.

· SNP's shame why not focus on real crimes?

· The economy's in meltdown but what's the SNP priority arresting fans for singing songs total nonsense.

 

The SNP and those pushing the Offensive Behaviour Bill like to talk about â??right thinking peopleâ?? and the type of behaviour that can be accepted, one wonders if the commentators below fit the model of being â??right thinkingâ???

As a former member of the SNP, I am disgusted at how authoritarian the party has become. We can't say Scotland requires the right of liberty if we do not recognise that the people also do. This law erodes civil liberties and should be repealed.

As a law student it is clear to me that this proposed legislation is a direct attack upon the average football fan, no matter what his team or culture is and as such it must be scrapped before we all live in fear of going to support our teams, Supporting Your Team Is Not A Crime.

As Waiton argues,

 

You donâ??t have to be an extremist or a criminal to oppose this Bill and it will be a sad say for freedom if it is passed. This is reality is Scotlandâ??s Shame.

 

The petition will be handed over as part of a protest against the Bill at 1.30pm.

 

The petition can be found via http://takealiberty.blogspot.com/

 

--

Dr Stuart Waiton

[Zappa 0]

There should have been protests at Holyrood before now. Turning up at Holyrood at 1:00pm on the day they're going to try and pass the Bill is too little too late and isn't going to have a worthwhile effect. It's too late by then to create a media frenzy outside Holyrood and get the freedom of speech message out to millions of Scots. It's just all too late. I think Stuart Waiton is slightly out of touch with the reality of the situation.

[Zappa 0]

This is part of a message from Stuart Waiton that was posted on another Gers forum just over a week ago and I'm led to believe that this was his correspondence with the Rangers fan who posted the message. -

 

As far as I can gather so far the Bill is being passed on Wed 14th.

 

The plan is to get to the parliament just before 1pm.

 

I'm aware that there is a Celtic bus organised and there may be space if anyone needs a ride from Glasgow - if you let me know I can pass on your details.

[Guest Dutchy]

The problem with this law is that it will do not one thing to reduce the perceived bigotry within our culture, therefore, it's not fit for purpose. It's just crimanalising ordinary fans, a pointless excersise given the already reduction of crowds at our grounds these days.

[Zappa 0]

It's too late now obviously, but I'm curious to know if the folk over on FF have organised any major protests against the Offensive Behaviour Bill?

[BrahimHemdani 1]

There should have been protests at Holyrood before now. Turning up at Holyrood at 1:00pm on the day they're going to try and pass the Bill is too little too late and isn't going to have a worthwhile effect. It's too late by then to create a media frenzy outside Holyrood and get the freedom of speech message out to millions of Scots. It's just all too late. I think Stuart Waiton is slightly out of touch with the reality of the situation.

 

It will have no effect whatsover. The good Dr Waiton is out of touch with a lot of things, reality being top of the list.

Edited December 13, 2011 by BrahimHemdani

[BrahimHemdani 1]

This is part of a message from Stuart Waiton that was posted on another Gers forum just over a week ago and I'm led to believe that this was his correspondence with the Rangers fan who posted the message. I'm aware that there is a Celtic bus organised and there may be space if anyone needs a ride from Glasgow - if you let me know I can pass on your details. -

 

I think that rathers proves the point.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

The problem with this law is that it will do not one thing to reduce the perceived bigotry within our culture, therefore, it's not fit for purpose. It's just crimanalising ordinary fans, a pointless excersise given the already reduction of crowds at our grounds these days.

 

Education, education, education!

[Zappa 0]

I think that rathers proves the point.

 

That's why I posted it. It seems that Waiton has been quite active in organsing protests involving the Celtic support, but his outreach to the Rangers support is to correspond with an interested Bear offering him a place on a Celtic bus... Either he's taking the mickey or he's a sandwich short of a picnic.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

That's why I posted it. It seems that Waiton has been quite active in organsing protests involving the Celtic support, but his outreach to the Rangers support is to correspond with an interested Bear offering him a place on a Celtic bus... Either he's taking the mickey or he's a sandwich short of a picnic.

 

Listen and make up your own mind http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/scotland/newsid_9582000/9582406.stm, he is as extreme on the one side as soem others I could mention are on the other.