This news item made me think, along with the other stuff, like people being pulled up for clearly jokey threats to blow up airports about how our freedom of speech is being eroded. Now it's not nice to wish harm on people, and advocating that someone be shot is a bit harsh. But surely all it requires is a time out, a calm down, and an apology? Who is actually going to shoot someone on the vague urgings of a tweet? Would a bomber say "I'm going to blow up an airport" before they go and do it? Preposterous.
Perhaps I should be arrested too. I have a confession to make.
The year was 1994, it was summer and the World Cup was in full swing. Beer was consumed and football was watched. The USA were playing the fancied Columbia in the first round. I vaguely remember it being an exciting match and I can still remember the feeling of utter disbelief when the unfortunate Andrés Escobar scored an own goal a striker would have been proud of in his attempt to cut out a USA cross.
I remember this moment like it was yesterday. A friend and I stood up simultaneously, pointed at the telly and in unison proclaimed "THAT BLOKE SHOULD BE SHOT!"
Anyone with a passing interest in international football probably knows what happened next. For those of you who haven't figured out where I'm going with this see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Escobar - basically he went home and a week later he was shot dead outside a nightclub.
What I did is exactly the same as what has been happening in all this draconian smacking down of off-the-cuff remarks on social networking on the Internet. You had better come down and arrest me, for I have been a very naughty boy. Even worse, the "harm" that I wished on someone actually came true. Clearly that makes me prime suspect.
Or maybe some sense could be seen. It's very simple - either you arrest and charge all the 4000+ people who repeated Paul Chambers' chilling threat on Robin Hood Airport, or you let him off. He made an off-the-cuff remark for which he has apologised. Case closed.
Oh, and sorry Andrés, I never actually wanted you to be actually shot, like with a real gun.
