France bans citizen journalists from reporting violence
The French Constitutional Council has approved a law that criminalizes the filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than professional journalists. The law could lead to the imprisonment of eyewitnesses who film acts of police violence, or operators of Web sites publishing the images, one French civil liberties group warned on Tuesday.
The council chose an unfortunate anniversary to publish its decision approving the law, which came exactly 16 years after Los Angeles police officers beating Rodney King were filmed by amateur videographer George Holliday on the night of March 3, 1991. The officers“ acquittal at the end on April 29, 1992 sparked riots in Los Angeles.
Huh. Not sure what to make of this.
For one thing, it tells you a lot about France’s stance on immigration and control of the press.
France has always had violence as a major shaker in its life as a country, is what I’m thinking. The French Revolution. The barricades of the early nineteenth century. The riots around the time of the Dreyfus trial. The ’68 riots. And the current violence in the streets. I’m just saying that I don’t think any of this is going to stop anything – in fact, it may well spark violence surrounding the imprisonment of violators of this new law. Something’s gonna give here, too, I think.
damn…maybe I’m paranoid, but i’m beggining to see a global freedom of speech war shaping up.
The time is right for a “Muslim Punk” youth movement in France.
Big brother had better shut down these tubes which run the internets or the shit is gonna hit the fan.
Well, – -they ARE French.
They’re French.
In their system anything not specifically permmited is prohibited.
These people even have Language Police.
So do we.
Yeah, we’re just sneakier about it.