Mean tweets can get you jailed

[George K]

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/31/23004339/uk-twitter-user-sentenced-grossly-offensive-tweet-tom-moore-joseph-kelly

A Twitter user from the UK named Joseph Kelly has been sentenced to 150 hours of community service for posting a “grossly offensive” tweet about Captain Sir Tom Moore, a British Army officer who raised money for the NHS during the pandemic.

Moore became a national figure in the UK after walking 100 laps around his garden before his 100th birthday. He was later knighted by the Queen. The day after his death, Kelly, 36, tweeted “the only good Brit soldier is a deed one, burn auld fella buuuuurn.”

Kelly was found guilty in February last year and faced possible jail time. His case brought attention to an often-criticized piece of UK legislation that allows social media users to be prosecuted for sending “grossly offensive” messages.

[LuFins Dad]

I’m going to go back to something that @Mik and I said in the Will Smith thread. Sometimes it’s okay to beat the crap out of somebody. Sending somebody to jail over a tweet is fundamentally wrong. Letting it go feels wrong. Beating the crap out of the guy? Yeah, that feels about right.

[Copper]

I just assume the jail time includes the beating.

[Horace]

If the tweet had been equally offensive but funny or clever, I bet he wouldn’t have been prosecuted.

[Doctor Phibes]

He wasn't actually jailed, he got community service, so he'll be doing something useful for a change.

Seems like a better solution than either jail or beating the crap out of him.

[Horace]

IMO the best solution is no legal action against him whatsoever, and no beating. How about he just be considered a miserable douche and everybody moves on.

[George K]

@Doctor-Phibes said in Mean tweets can get you jailed:

He wasn't actually jailed, he got community service, so he'll be doing something useful for a change.

Yes. That's why the title says "CAN get you jailed." Theoretically, they could have jailed him>

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/oct/08/april-jones-matthew-woods-jailed

Seems like a better solution than either jail or beating the crap out of him.

[Mik]

@Horace said in Mean tweets can get you jailed:

IMO the best solution is no legal action against him whatsoever, and no beating. How about he just be considered a miserable douche and everybody moves on.

Like it used to be before every idiot in the world got a global soapbox from which to spew stupidity.

[Catseye3]

@Mik Oh, you recall that too?

[Doctor Phibes]

@Horace said in Mean tweets can get you jailed:

IMO the best solution is no legal action against him whatsoever, and no beating. How about he just be considered a miserable douche and everybody moves on.

Yeah, that would undoubtedly be better. Prosecuting people for this type of shit isn’t a great idea.

[Mik]

@Catseye3 said in Mean tweets can get you jailed:

@Mik Oh, you recall that too?

I do indeed.