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Blogger is sentenced for racist website postings

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Published Date: 17 July 2007
A SUPERMARKET worker who "blogged to shock" on his website by lampooning black people, Muslims, the Irish, homosexuals and the disabled has been sentenced to carry out 160 hours of community service.
A court heard that Andrew Love, an economics graduate, poked fun at the Falklands war veteran Simon Weston, who suffered severe burns, and featured a film clip of a disabled colleague playing a mouth organ, which he captioned "the company gimp".

Love, a shelf-stacker at Morrisons supermarket in Falkirk, invited colleagues to log on to the website, www.sirdavisiv.com, which he set up in 2005.

Alistair McSporran, prosecuting, told Falkirk Sheriff court that the website's content acquired a darker tone after initially being filled with "amusing or supposedly amusing stories".

He said: "The site had started to take on undertones of racism and homophobia and contained derogatory remarks about disabled and unfortunate members of society."

When the supermarket's admin manager, Mark Kerr, told Love to take down the clip of a disabled member of staff playing the harmonica, the employee responded by setting up an e-mail address for Mr Kerr and also published the manager's e-mail address and home postcode.

Love, suspended by Morrisons, resigned a few days later and the police were called in.

Love, of Maddiston, Falkirk, pleaded guilty to committing a racially aggravated breach of the peace.

Defence advocate David McLeod said Love, currently working for another supermarket, had hoped to become involved in journalism.



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  • Last Updated: 16 July 2007 10:05 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Weblogs
 
1

Tricia,

17/07/2007 01:25:11

He sounds like one of the regular bloggers on this site.

2

Statsman,

17/07/2007 01:36:42

I don't agree with what this person was saying, but what about the freedom of expression?

I find the PC Nazis as invidious the original ones.

3

Guga II,

Rockall 17/07/2007 02:19:31

#2 I'll go along with that.

4

The Fly Fifer,

Fife 17/07/2007 02:52:33

where does disagreament with homosexuality become homophobia >>>>>>>> Discuss :-

5

iRoy,

17/07/2007 02:57:03

#2 and #3
Would you mind telling me where the death camps are?

Comparing your self-perceived persecution by "PC Nazis" to the atrocities committed against humanity is pathetic.

6

The Fly Fifer,

Fife 17/07/2007 03:01:03

If a person of a certain religous or political persuasion sets of a bomb and they are being described in the news before any arrest is it rasicst to mention their supposed nationality or religion ......... discuss

7

Seeking Truth Too,

Edinburgh 17/07/2007 06:21:42

The PC police would have a field day in the Middle East threads

8

Mallory,

17/07/2007 07:35:16

An economics graduate stacking shelves in a supermarket speaks volumes about NuLab's 'education education education' rap.

9

Màrio àntoinèttè,

17/07/2007 07:51:13

Ricky Gervais and Sache Baron Cohen do this (with a twist) for a living and we all find it hilarious.

Are we not allowed to laugh at those with greater misfortunes than ourselves anymore ? I know we shouldnt, but are we not ALLOWED to anymore ?

Bang goes the comments facility eh ?

10

Keke,

Aberdeenshire 17/07/2007 09:16:38

If he'd had a go at the queen, the royal family or any uk politicians no-one would raise an eyebrow .... double standards?
(just asking the question)

11

Allan(handofgod137),

17/07/2007 09:35:42

Whatever happened to free speech?

12

Suzi B,

17/07/2007 10:44:54

#9 Mario.
I don't find Ricky Gervaise or Sasha Baron Cohen hilarious. I actually find them cringeworthy and offensive.
I can't quite understand why people feel the need to express themselves by lampooning those less fortunate than themselves or making recially offensive comments and think it is ok. Why would it be OK?
Paedophiles get great comfort from joining groups where they all talk about their 'likes and dislikes', and they become emboldened by the fact that their crime is normalised by other paedophiles until they truly believe that they aren't harming the children they abuse, they are 'loving' them. It is the same with racism and sexual discrimination and lampooning people with disabilities. The more the bahaviour is normalised, the more extreme some people become in expressing their 'freedom of speech.' Fine as long as you aren't the one being attacked in the street by people who believe that everyone thinks the same way they do, so it isn't a crime to shout abuse, or to go one step further and beat up minorities for a laugh, because surely everyone thinks the same way they do?? Nope, sorry, it just doesn't cut it to say we have an inalienable right to freedom of speech where that freedom hurts and alienates other human beings. It isn't necessary to be hurtful or offensive in this world-go and get a life and talk to people about the good things that happen in it.

13

Turkey Jerky,

17/07/2007 10:51:29

Free speech is not enshrined in the UK for a start. So tough sh**.

I agree that humour is reasonable so long as it stays that way, but this guy obviously was taking the biscuit. Posting his managers details shows what a twonk this loser is.

The EU has laws that forbid the transmission of hate literature based on Race, Age, Sexuality, Religion etc. Interstingly though you can still hate someone for an unjustifiable reason, so long as it falls outside of the pre-defined NO-GO areas.

14

Suzi B,

17/07/2007 10:58:06

And #11 Allan asks....'whatever happened to freedom of speech.'
Reading over this article you can see where one mans freedom of speech was going.

""The site had started to take on undertones of racism and homophobia and contained derogatory remarks about disabled and unfortunate members of society."

When the supermarket's admin manager, Mark Kerr, told Love to take down the clip of a disabled member of staff playing the harmonica, the employee responded by setting up an e-mail address for Mr Kerr and also published the manager's e-mail address and home postcode. '

What about these peoples freedom from persecution? This idiot didn't appreciate the managers freedom of speech when he told him his behaviour was inappropriate, and look how he responded. Not entirely a rational response, was it?
Why should freedom of speech be any more important than freedom from persecution?
Freedom of speech, my @rse. He is just an ignorant pig, who will be getting great comfort from your comments.

15

Miss Pixie,

Westminster, Maryland USA 17/07/2007 11:10:48

#1--I know which one of whom you refer. I do not think he is awake as yet.

What is in a name? Too bad this Love character cannot live up to his!

16

Màrio àntoinèttè,

17/07/2007 11:13:31

Suzi , sorry if you took me too seriously , this is obviously wrong.

"The site had started to take on undertones of racism and homophobia and contained derogatory remarks about disabled and unfortunate members of society."

Could be a quote about here.

You can have all the EU directives and PC orientated brainwashing you like, human life is competitive and those who cant survive will fall by the wayside. We make instant judgements about people based on peoples weight , their height , their cleanliness and haircut. As an employer you will instantly dismiss people based on certain aspects.

17

The Fly Fifer,

Fife 17/07/2007 11:16:09

Suzi I take great exception to your comparison of a human being and a pig.

Pigs are lovely animals and as such any comparison with a human I find disturbing, demeaning of the animal, and downright tasteless.

Pigs are clever animals, when given proper space they differentiate feeding areas from toilet areas unlike some other omnivorous animals.

Your obvious and hurtful attack on this animal by comparing it to a human is beyond belief in this day of trying to get ones phraseology correct.

I hope you are ashamed of your double standards and that you feel that you can in future pick your words better.

18

Màrio àntoinèttè,

17/07/2007 11:23:50

Suzy , tell me off when I'm wrong by all means , but the paedophile thing was unecessary.

19

Suzi B,

17/07/2007 11:45:45

#18. You are quite right about the pig. I apologise wholehearterdly....but they are just so PINK sometimes, how could you not pick on them?!

#19. It was an unpleasant analogy to use the subject of paedophilia, I know, but I was trying to point out that people who hold extreme views (and I thought most people would find paedophilia extreme) are encouraged and emboldened by finding others who share their views. This fellow used the internet and encouraged his colleagues to view his material, presumably because he either thought that they would all agree with him, or because he was trying to bolster support for his views. I'm sorry if you felt the analogy was too confronting, and hope I didn't offend too much but I wouldn't want people to think that everyone feels the same about this particular form of 'freedom of speech' because they obviously don't, and the law says it's wrong too.

20

Màrio àntoinèttè,

17/07/2007 12:07:40

No worries, and sorry if i come across as a bit flippant sometimes.

21

The Fly Fifer,

Fife 17/07/2007 13:10:44

My favourite pig is actually not pink it is a deep brown with white markings ........... thanks for understanding Suzi B

22

Suzi B,

17/07/2007 13:45:10

#22.
I was so ashamed of my piggy outburst that I went down to the police station to confess my sins. They said 'who are you calling a pig' and charged me with insulting a police officer! Now I'm deep in it. Thanks a lot Fife Flyer!

23

GalacticCannibal,

Murrieta, California (The Golden State) 17/07/2007 14:21:36

Absolute free speech is not allowed in any country including mine the USA .

This will never change.

So live with it dudes.

Peace

respectfully

Galactic Cannibal

24

Conan,

Here 17/07/2007 18:14:06

Our fathers, grandfathers and some of us fought, and some died, to ensure that the light of freedom would not be extinguished or dimmed, yet here we have someone - no matter how detestable his position and rantings may be - being crushed by the unbridled power of the state and forced into conformity ..... just as might have been done by the NAZIs or the Communists. Wake up people - freedom of speech must be available to all; unless they are actually inciting a crime.

25

Bien E. Bien,

17/07/2007 18:34:21

The boy's done well here. He has gone from stacking shelves in one supermarket to, er, stacking shelves in another supermarket.

Is this the sort of career progression that one can expect with an economics degree these days? Perhaps he needs to direct his energy into something more productive than spouting nonsense on the internet.

26

imanasole,

london 17/07/2007 19:03:17

suzi b is quite right to point out that people who hold extreme views are encouraged and emboldened by finding others who share their views. People advocated the legalisation of homosexuality and now look where we are.

27

Suzi B,

17/07/2007 19:05:03

#25 Dangerous talk, Bien! Your last paragraph could apply equally to all of us who drop in here and leave our tuppence worth!!

28

Suzi B,

17/07/2007 19:11:29

#26.
Oh, imanasole leave me out of the homosexuality debate. I have no axe to grind either way, although I must say I would rather come upon a mob of homosexuals on a dark night than a mob of racists or otherwise intolerant individuals.
But since you brought it up, where are we now as a result of the legalisation of homosexuality? More homophobic or less?

29

Bien E. Bien,

17/07/2007 19:12:19

#27 - I know! And it makes me weep...


 

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