In May 2011 the Scottish Government set out to criminalise sectarian banter with the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill. The Bill proposes tough penalties, up to five years for offensive behaviour or offensive online blogging. There have been a number of objections to the Bill, which have led to its implementation being postponed until further consultation can take place. Many of the objections, however, have been concerned with procedural aspects of the policy-making process (lack of consultation etc...) rather than concerns with the authoritarian nature of the proposals. The campaign group Take A Liberty have made a principled civil liberties objection to the Bill. Over the coming months I will use this blog to post updates and info about the Bill and the debates around it:
Scottish Government website: OBFTC Bill
Petition against the Bill (please sign): Petition
Articles critical of the Bill:
Stuart Waiton - The anti-bigot bigots
Kevin Rooney - Free speech for football fans
Tom Miers - Censorship enters the terraces
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