Absoluetly disgusting...

[Tricky]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle2312015.ece Why the hell our government sends our soldiers out to fight these kind of people,then lets them be abused by muslim fanatics on their return i just dont know,its a discrace!I read in another paper that one of them was shouting that british troops had raped thousands of iraqi women,complete bollocks!our army is the most disciplined & decent in the world & i havent heard one single report about british troops raping iraqi women!

[SymphonicX]

An argument for freedom of speech, whatever way you look at it.

[Tricky]

An argument for freedom of speech, whatever way you look at it. Then one should argue that if these scumbags wish to make such statements in public then they should use real facts instead of imagined ones,British soldiers are not rapists or "war criminals", and they certainly shouldnt be allowed to abuse our soldiers on the streets with police protection,they should have been moved on to protest elsewhere.Would that kind of abuse from muslim fanatics to american soldiers be allowed on home turf?

[Chic Freak]

I don't agree with their message but they do have a right to peaceful protest (i.e. sign-waving). Apparently the ones verbally abusing the troops were arrested. So meh *shrug*

[MinionZombie]

Arrested, but they won't get anything, a slap on the wrists maybe. It's also bad in the respect that they're not representative of the Muslim people, and will only strengthen the message of the bastard BNP who prey on xenophobic numpties. But it's bang out of order still - I wonder if they'd been white-skinned protesters they'd have been allowed to shout and scream and carry on like that for so long? You do have to wonder. Plus - indeed - using such blatant lies in their "protest" is just sick. Free speech - sometimes it's a son of a bitch, but ironically, it's the very soldiers they were protesting who are the sort of people who have allowed folk in Britain to actually protest ... even if the gubment has done everything it can to quell dissent. I wonder if this sort of thing will happen elsewhere. I hope not - these men and women are doing their job. They've been dodging bullets and rpgs for months and even years, and you never hear about the good they do. Only the bad committed by the very few, or reports of how the war isn't going particularly well. Really, Saddam should have been ousted in the 90s when they were first in there, we'd be 15 years further down the road now if they'd just stuck at it a little longer, but oh no... Therefore, after having already invaded Afghanistan (which I don't think people can really argue with, not to the same degree as they have with Iraq at least) it's just daft to start a war on a second front at the same time ... but it happened. Basically, the nutters in these areas need to be gotten rid of to allow the people who, just like the vast, vast majority of people across the world, just want to live in peace and raise their kids. Needless to say however, I'd certainly not like to be a Commander in Chief at this time ... ... nor ever, actually.

[Mike70]

first off - as a veteran i find this kind of thing revolting. that these pieces of shit have the audacity and ignorance to insult people willing to serve is outrageous beyond belief. that one asshole holding the sign that says "british govt. terrorist govt." really ought to piss people off. if he hates the UK so much, why the fuck does he live there? protest the actions of the govt. all you want, i don't care - knock yourself out but when asshats like these people start verbally abusing soldiers behind the protection of free speech, heads ought to roll. i would also point out that verbal abuse and harassment are NOT protected forms of free speech.

[MinionZombie]

i would also point out that verbal abuse and harassment are NOT protected forms of free speech. This whole thing reminds me of the phelps' 'family' protesting soldier funerals in the states - is that still going on, or are they still allowed to get away with that? Essentially what they're doing is preaching hate.

[Mike70]

This whole thing reminds me of the phelps' 'family' protesting soldier funerals in the states - is that still going on, or are they still allowed to get away with that? Essentially what they're doing is preaching hate. some states have passed laws that ban idiots from picketing at funerals. a federal law needs to be enacted to that effect. the family of a marine killed in action successfully sued the phelps family last year and won $5 million in damages. as a result a federal lien was placed on the property and holdings of the westboro baptist church. http://cjonline.com/stories/040408/loc_264906171.shtml oh and did you know they are barred for life from entering the UK? free speech was intended to prevent the govt. from interfering with the public's ability to make themselves heard on matters relating to the actions of the govt. free speech is not a license to act like a fool in public. i don't think it applies in the case of the phelps' family either. what they are doing (as the fools in this article are) is abusive, hateful and violent because harassment and verbal abuse are, in fact, forms of violence. so, i don't think the phelps family ought to be able to do what they do because they are not protesting a govt. action so much as trying to inflict needless pain and suffering on an already grieving family that has lost (most likely) a very young son or daughter. it's bullshit plain and simple. that sound you hear is james madison (4th president and the man who wrote most of the constitution and all of the bill of rights) rolling in his grave. british soldiers, like their american and canadian counterparts, are citizen-soliders. people who have volunteered to serve but still retain all their rights they had as civilians (this is what is called civic militarism and it is peculiar to the west). they are not elected officials nor are they ministers of the govt., so i see no reason why they should have to be subjected to this kind of shit. if these muslim idiots have a problem with britian's involvement in iraq, i have a suggestion: go protest in front of the ministry of defense.

[AcesandEights]

Yeah, that's pretty horrifying and very depressing. Spouses & family, military aux., Veteran's groups and any concerned citizens should do their best to be present for when troops come home to support them, let them know they're loved and appreciated and...suppress...some of the worse forms of this sort of hate and protest. It won't solve it and it won't really change the heart of the matter for those who have come out to protest, but it can help undercut what may otherwise seem like a tide of hate to those vets returning home.

[Chic Freak]

if these muslim idiots have a problem with britian's involvement in iraq, i have a suggestion: go protest in front of the ministry of defense. Right on.

[MinionZombie]

oh and did you know they are barred for life from entering the UK? Aye, I saw that happening - strangely enough, right on the heels of another free speech related issue - a politician (Geert Wilders) was coming over to present his film "Fitna" (about Muslim radicalism or thereabouts apparently), but was blocked entry and returned to his home country immediately. However - was he a preacher of hate? I'm not convinced - nor was the film properly discussed in any kind of detail - indeed, Muslim leaders wanted to converse with Wilders in person, to debate him. Also, hilariously, that utter prat Keith Vaz (known for being a Jack Thompson style complainer about violent videogames) was on Newsnight bitching about "Fitna" WITHOUT WATCHING IT. The presenter, Kirsty Wark, damn near fell off her chair laughing in shock. Anyway - methinks Wilders should have been allowed, or considered further - was his message/documentary actually preaching hate? I'm not sure - and indeed, many people wanted the opportunity to debate him directly - this was denied. Now - Phelps on the other hand - a completely different case, and a clear case of preaching hate - they're preachers, and they preach hate, and damn straight that they should be denied entry into the UK (to picket a student play, if memory serves - I know, weird eh?) *sigh*

[Tricky]

Something else frightening to do with the British Army as well - im currently going through the process of signing up to the territorial army (mainly as i need the extra money,and it will be an exciting second job as opposed to my regular office job) & last week i sat in on a lecture on LOAC or 'laws of armed combat', and we were told that if a taliban fighter empties a magazine at you,then you cant pop up and shoot back while he's empty as apparently he's "not a threat to life while his weapon is discharged",the same as if you are being pelted by stones,petrol bombs,bricks etc while out on patrol there is absolutely nothing you can do about it other than stand there & take it, as any of those objects are not considered a threat to life (hence that footage of those british troops on fire running from that burning tank,the troops were not allowed to react to what was happening while a massive crowd had surrounded them & was trying to burn them alive,we had to watch that whole thing as part of the lecture) There was a whole bunch of other ridiculous laws as well relating to enemy spotters being untouchable as they are "not a direct threat to life" even if they are stood there on a mobile phone quite clearly directing fire on to our troops Its no wonder so many of our lads are being killed out there because politicians & lawyers have tied their hands up completely!

[Publius]

Something else frightening to do with the British Army as well - im currently going through the process of signing up to the territorial army (mainly as i need the extra money,and it will be an exciting second job as opposed to my regular office job) & last week i sat in on a lecture on LOAC or 'laws of armed combat', and we were told that if a taliban fighter empties a magazine at you,then you cant pop up and shoot back while he's empty as apparently he's "not a threat to life while his weapon is discharged",the same as if you are being pelted by stones,petrol bombs,bricks etc while out on patrol there is absolutely nothing you can do about it other than stand there & take it, as any of those objects are not considered a threat to life (hence that footage of those british troops on fire running from that burning tank,the troops were not allowed to react to what was happening while a massive crowd had surrounded them & was trying to burn them alive,we had to watch that whole thing as part of the lecture) (image snipped) There was a whole bunch of other ridiculous laws as well relating to enemy spotters being untouchable as they are "not a direct threat to life" even if they are stood there on a mobile phone quite clearly directing fire on to our troops Its no wonder so many of our lads are being killed out there because politicians & lawyers have tied their hands up completely! I'm proud to say U.S. forces are under no such restrictions, at least as a general matter (ROE for particular operations may vary). At least in the reload and spotter cases, that's a clearly absurd interpretation of LOAC.

[Bruiser235]

Sickening. Truely sickening. I sure hope to hell this crap doesn't start here again like it did during the Vietnam war.

[SymphonicX]

Then one should argue that if these scumbags wish to make such statements in public then they should use real facts instead of imagined ones,British soldiers are not rapists or "war criminals", and they certainly shouldnt be allowed to abuse our soldiers on the streets with police protection,they should have been moved on to protest elsewhere.Would that kind of abuse from muslim fanatics to american soldiers be allowed on home turf? Unfortunately it's tolerated by neo christians who picket dead soldier's funerals...in america...so yeah... and without playing devil's advocate too much - none of us (incl protesters) really know what's happening down there, and to blanket every one of "our boys" as a morally upstanding and good person is a bit blindsided.