Could we see refugee and asylum requests from Brits who are persecuted for their political opinion?
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) August 9, 2024
“Refugee status or asylum may be granted to people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of … political opinion.” Immigration and Nationality Act https://t.co/ZYo5dmdU8O
Here's what opinionated Brits are facing today. I'd say it qualifies them for refugee status.
Actually, that post is misleading, or as the Crown Prosecution Service itself would probably say, it is disinformation. The law in question extends to content that is "threatening, abusive, or insulting," which goes well beyond inciting violence or hatred.
Think before you post! 📲✋ Content that incites violence or hatred isn't just harmful - it can be illegal.
— Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) August 7, 2024
The CPS takes online violence seriously and will prosecute when the legal test is met. Remind those close to you to share responsibly or face the consequences. pic.twitter.com/5gxnUH02yw
All those terms are fundamentally subjective anyway, so the CPS is threatening to prosecute Brits for expressing political opinion that some unnamed party in the CPS dislikes.
Moreover, by threatening to extradite offenders from abroad, the CPS threatens to take its oppressive nanny state to everyone everywhere.
Well, the 1st Amendment stands between me and the CPS, so I feel pretty safe. Over here, we still adhere to the constitutional 'counterspeech doctrine' which holds that the best remedy to combat harmful speech is “more speech, not enforced silence” (Justice Brandeis, Stromberg v. California (1931). But our British cousins have no such protection.
Maybe a significant number of Brits will now notice that constitutions work a lot better when they are written down, as their Chartists knew.
But until then, why should we not welcome mouthy political refugees from the UK to come over here and breathe the sweet air of freedom?
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