[news.misc] More UK censorship

flash@ee.qmc.ac.uk (Flash Sheridan) (07/01/88)

In article <5307@eagle.ukc.ac.uk> sph@ukc.ac.uk (S.P.Holmes) writes:
>In article <2569@newton.praxis.co.uk> neil@praxis.co.uk (Neil Mason) writes:
>>In article <1421@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin) writes:
>>>
>>>In article <8@poppy.warwick.ac.uk> cstrhez@warwick.ac.uk (Jon Austin) writes:
>>>>Dear <victims name>,
>>>
>>>>As part of our fostering scheme for greater Wold understanding, the above
>>>>council has selected your home and family to further the councilos aims.
>>>
>>>People outside the UK may not be aware that this hoax letter is regularly used
>>>by neo-Nazi groups here (the British National Party and the National Front).
>>>
>>>John Austin, if you post any more fascist propaganda to the net I will send
>>>copies of your articles to the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
>>>That posting was a criminal offence under the British Race Relations Act.
>>>
>>>I MEAN THAT. I AM NOT FOOLING.
>>
>>	I am sorry to flame the flaming of ..... but I believe the above must
>>	be a hoax.  When I read the original article I found it mildly funny,
>>	rather predictable, and yes, very racist.
>>
>>		Neil
>
>
>In the U.K. we have a race relations act,
>and it covers such media as broadcast and
>publication.
>
>Legally such things as computer Bulletin
>boards are grey areas due to a lack of
>case law. However, there is a case
>which argues that the 'owner' (Whoever that
>is) of every computer on a network which
>carries the material, may be liable for prosecution.
>
>It is for this reason that certain newsgroups
>are not carried in the U.K.
>
>I'll cross post this to Eunet.politics, and follow
>up with an obligitary (legalised) joke. The characters
>
>

From: flash@ee.qmc.ac.uk (Flash Sheridan)
Reply-To: sheridan@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk
or_perhaps_Reply_to: flash@cs.qmc.ac.uk