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This is a tolerant country...BUT...

A British court prosecutes a man for blasphemy


Link Here5th February 2025
Campaigners have warned Sharia law is being brought to the streets of Britain following the case of a man who burned a Quran at the memorial to the Manchester Arena bombing victims.

The man admitted a racially aggravated public order offence after he was filmed tearing pages from the Islamic religious book and setting them alight on Saturday. He had publicised the event online beforehand, and it was streamed on social media. He was filmed tearing pages from the Quran and setting them alight whilst holding an Israeli flag.

The case has since been criticised by free speech campaigners, however, who have warned it could also leave Frost at risk of retaliation. Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, told The Telegraph:

[The case] brings us perilously close to reinstating blasphemy laws.

The man's name, date of birth and the borough where he lives were all disgracefully published by Greater Manchester Police on X in a post announcing he had been charged.

In a letter to the force, Lord Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union raised concerns about the defendant's safety as a consequence. He claimed that the case should never have been a police matter, adding the decision to name the man 'may well have placed him in great jeopardy.

District Judge Margaret McCormack asked for a pre-sentence report and adjourned sentencing. She told the man:

The Quran is a sacred book to Muslims and treating it as you did is going to cause extreme distress. This is a tolerant country ...BUT... we just do not tolerate this behaviour.

She bailed Frost on condition he does not post anything further on social media and will pass sentence on April 29.

 

 

Offsite Article: Islamic blasphemy laws have come to Britain...


Link Here4th February 2025
Full story: Public Order Act...Enabling police censorship
By arresting a man for burning the Koran, the authorities are doing the bidding of Islamist reactionaries. By Fraser Myers

See article from spiked-online.com

 

 

Streuth!...

A cut version of Crocodile Dundee has premiered in Sydney without the transgender jokes


Link Here30th January 2025
Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australia comedy adventure by Peter Faiman.
Starring Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski and John Meillon. Melon Farmers link  BBFC link 2020  IMDb

A 4K remastered and cut version titled Crocodile Dundee: The Encore Cut , premiered in Sydney in early 2025. It will be re-released in cinemas in May.

In the new cut of the film, two and a half minutes of footage has been edited out.

  • Among the moments removed is the scene in which Paul Hogan's Mick Dundee grabs a bar patron in the groin and declares that was a guy, dressed up like a sheila, while someone else yells 'faggot'.
  • A callback to the scene later when Mick does the same thing to a woman at a party, telling her, I was just making sure, has also been removed.

Paul Hogan agreed with those scenes and others being edited out of the film. He said:

I heard about it years ago, it started, it wasn't about being woke. They pointed out to me and said, 'This guy is a folk hero around the world. He shouldn't be groping people.'

And I thought, 'Yeah that's right, he shouldn't be', so take it out. I mean, he did it in all innocence, in naivety, but it's better without it.

Production company Rimfire Films said:

Some years ago, Paramount Pictures and other distributors requested the reference to the crossdresser be edited from the original film, as they found it offensive. We agreed to that request.

 

 

The drink censor sticks the knife in...

To a pump handle image celebrating a master knife maker in Sheffield


Link Here20th January 2025
A brewery called Little Mesters Brewing produced a beer with a pump handle celebrating a master knife maker included a knife in the image.

A complaint read:

The idea of Stan is a homage to one of the last little Mesters in Sheffield. As much as I appreciate the respect to the history of the city of Sheffield in feel using a knife handle as a tap handle is perhaps a step too far and could encourage alcohol related violence. Complainant:

The Portman Group drink censor decided that the pump handle image transgressed against its rule:

A drink, its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not in any direct or indirect way suggest any association with bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous, anti-social or illegal behaviour

The company explained that the Stan IPA tap was a single tap handle in situ at a bar in Sheffield and there were no plans to roll it out further. The tap was a specially made ornamental knife handle to commemorate the craftsmanship of Stan Shaw, a master craftsman who made various knives ranging from ceremonial swords to pocket knives which included intricate designs known for their high quality. The company explained that Stan Shaw was widely regarded as the last Little Mester in Sheffield and he had made knives for numerous notable people including Queen Elizabeth II.

The company explained that the beer was over four years old and it had received no other complaints about it during this time. The company stated that it had recently taken over a new outlet where the tap was included as part of a wall with various branded taps. The company explained that the handle had no blade, nor any suggestion of a blade and without background understanding of Stan Shaw, the tap would be interpreted as unrelated to a knife. The company did not believe therefore, that the Stan beer tap created any association with adverse behaviour as the blade was in no way harmful.

Finally, the company stated that it would remove the tap handle if it was required to but that this would be disappointing for the friends, family and supporters of Stan Shaw together with the charitable trust it worked in conjunction with to keep the memory of the Little Mesters alive.

The Panel's assessment:

The Panel considered the image on the pump clip which included a stylised cartoon depiction of Stan Shaw posing with a knife. The knife was held in an upright position with Mr Shaw's body turned towards it. The Panel considered that this image drew attention to the knife and made it the central focus of the design. This image of Stan Shaw was surrounded by numerous other blades in a circular fashion alongside the word Stan.

The Panel discussed the wider societal context that knife crime within Sheffield and the wider UK was prevalent and noted that careful consideration needed to be given to alcohol marketing which included the depiction and any potential glamourisation of knives. The Panel expressed concern about the number of blades included in the imagery, particularly as they formed a prominent part of the design and appeared to be more akin to sharp weapons than utensils. The Panel noted that there were no handles attached to any of the blades which also made them appear more like dangerous weaponry than ceremonial or cutlery knives.

The Panel then discussed the image of Stan and noted that the knife was being held in an upright vertical fashion. The blade was curved into a tip at the end which gave the appearance that the blade was akin to a sharp dagger, rather than a blunted ceremonial knife. The Panel considered the combination of these elements meant that the imagery could potentially glamourise the depiction of sharp knives which were often used as weapons in violent crime.

The Panel then considered the tap handle in the context of the pump clip imagery. The Panel noted the company's response that the handle did not include a blade and that without context the tap handle would not be recognised as a knife handle. However, the Panel noted that as the tap handle appeared alongside the pump clip, it contributed to the overall impression conveyed by the marketing as a whole and increased the likelihood that a consumer would recognise it as a knife handle. The Panel considered the design was intended to mimic a knife handle and this was reinforced by the action required of pulling the tap, where a person's hand would be required to grip it in a similar fashion as one might brandish a knife.

While the Panel acknowledged that the producer had simply sought to celebrate an important local craftsman, it was of the view that any depiction of knives on alcoholic packaging had to be approached with great caution. Rates of knife crime in Sheffield and the rest of the UK had risen over recent years and generate a high level of public concern. In this instance, the Panel concluded that, when considering the overall impression conveyed by the tap handle and the pump clip, the combination of the image of a male presenting a sharp dagger-like knife, the multiple sharp knife blades and the tap handle which was designed to mimic a knife handle all resulted in a cumulative effect which glamourised knives that were not ceremonial or cutlery-like but instead sharp blades which could potentially be associated with knife-related violence. Accordingly, the Panel upheld the pump clip and tap handle under Code rule 3.2(b) for creating an indirect association with violent behaviour.

Action by Company:

The company discontinued the product.


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