Protecting Our Free Speech
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” is an oft-quoted line attributed to Voltaire, and it succinctly expresses how I feel today. Last evening Damien Mulley changed his Twitter updates to be protected in an attempt to stop people from allegedly harassing him. I say allegedly, as this incident may find its resolution through legal intervention.
One of final messages, before switching his account private made claims that certain members of the UL branch of Young Fine Gael were behind the harassment.
“With the continued harassment and stalking online and off I’m getting from members of Fine Gael in UL, I’m making this account private”
Now, I have no reason to disbelieve what Damien is saying, but I wonder what the Fine Gael party executive would make of certain members of its youth movement allegedly harassing a citizen practising his right to free speech.
The scary thing, is that trying to stamp on the right to free speech of one of us, is an attack on all of us. Every blogger in the country. How long is it before you say something that does not defame anyone, but rubs them up the wrong way so as to result in harassment?
There are many bloggers whose opinions I disagree with. People who challenge my views. They make me a better person and I hope I help them too.
Aside from this case, how long before one of us is next? How long before someone stamps on your right to free speech? How long before you are the object of harassment? Clamping on free speech is intolerable, and harassment to the point of outright stalking is unacceptable.
Note: If the allegations against members of Young Fine Gael are held up in a court of law, I would like to make the point that nowhere in this post, do I allege that this was an organised campaign sanctioned by the Young Fine Gael branch at UL.
February 26th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I am, happily, far too unimportant to harass.
Also, I would find harassment from anyone in Young FF or FG uninteresting; when it comes to it, what college age person is in either? A deeply boring one.
February 26th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Those individuals are supposed to be the future of their respective political party?
Disgusting behaviour and blatant harassment of an individual, blogger or not.
Wonder what a certain Mr. Kenny has to say about this…
February 26th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Absolute asshats the lot of them. They’re irked pretty much the entire Irish blogosphere by going after Damien.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
@Robert @Ken @Anthony: It’s poor form. I’d like to point out that this situation may end in the courts before long. So, until the situation is argued in a court of law and a legally-binding decision is made, the source of this bullying remains an allegation.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
When I worked in the Pentagon, I used to frame letters of retraction that my team exacted from lead action agencies who discredited our analyses.
When I first got to Ireland more than 10 years ago, I used to put all the letters demanding retraction of statements I made on mailing lists and discussion boards in a single frame, one on top of the other. One of those letters purported to set a date in court to argue damages.
Nothing has ever happened to me in more than a dozen of these Irish cases but I’ve enjoyed the saber-rattling that comes when you irritate anyone entrenched with a just cause.
I’m not making light of any of the current turmoil, but this kind of energy burn seems to come with the territory once you’ve ploughed enough fields online.