About 9 months ago cantleave did a brilliant interview on the radio. I know many responded to it by writing to them and it seems like they are now responding and I wondered who else has had a reply in the last couple of days regarding being interviewed?
Amelia Ashton
JoinedPosts by Amelia Ashton
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Has anyone else been contacted by the BBC?
by Amelia Ashton inabout 9 months ago cantleave did a brilliant interview on the radio.
i know many responded to it by writing to them and it seems like they are now responding and i wondered who else has had a reply in the last couple of days regarding being interviewed?
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Sky News emailed about UK charitable status
by cedars infollowing the recent breakthrough i have just sent the following email to sky news, expanding on the issue of the "mentally diseased" article to incorporate the issue of uk charitable status.
i feel this is a good angle to go at, because sky news tends to focus on uk economic policy issues quite extensively.
5 million per year in government gift aid being frittered away on a charity that condones breaking-up families and blocking medical treatment seems to me to be a newsworthy item.. here is the email.
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Amelia Ashton
Go Cedars. We are behind you 100% xxx
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Member of Parliament's reply to my email regarding "Mentally Diseased" Watchtower
by Amelia Ashton inif i could offer my perspective.
issues around free speech are some of the most difficult.
balancing the right of someone being able to say what they want against the "harm" that might cause.
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Amelia Ashton
If I could offer my perspective. Issues around free speech are some of the most difficult. Balancing the right of someone being able to say what they want against the "harm" that might cause. A specific instance of this is someone being able to sue for libel in the civil as supposed to criminal courts. Speaking as a non-lawyer there are crimes of inciting racial or religious hatred and we have seen people prosecuted for inciting riots recently by writing on Facebook etc. If you feel that a crime of inciting religious hatred has been committed then you should consult a lawyer may be as a group and discuss this with the police - it may be worth going up a level or two as regards your standard bobby on the beat. There is more infromation on this on Wikipedia or the BBC News website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3873323.stm . However while the internet is a really useful resource - particularly as regards legal advice the internet should always be tripple or quadruple checked!!! I also don't know what caselaw there has been on this but in general I would guess that the courts would not find someone guilty of a crime for a heated religious debate even if that did involved some name calling. If there is a specific threat e.g. We are going to kill a named individual that should be reported to the police. However having said that I would consider exercising some commonsense. I have had some deeply troubling things said about me - I mostly think though that people look at where they are coming from and draw their own conclusions. If a group says that another group is mentally disturbed then I think people are not going to think much of the first group. Religions unfortunately say some deeply disturbing things about other religions - and they consider that they are the one and only true faith and indeed sometimes go further and believe that they should and have a duty to "save" non-believers from hell etc. I am not an expert on Jehovah's Witnesses but I believe they have some of these characteristics and are a very evangelical sect. If there is no immediate danger, I would personally carry with my life and proclaim what I saw as the correct religious viewpoint. Unfortunately religious spats can get very bitter indeed as on occasion can political ones. I normally reckon that I have won the argument when people resort to name calling and personal insults! But I know from personal experience that it is distressing. I also appreciate that JW may operate some of the techniques more associated with cults and may say to other family members that otherJW family members who have left mainstream JW that they are beyond the pale etc. I understand that JW is a form of Christianity - indeed takes more heed of Christ may be then other versions of Christianity and I would say to those people and indeed any intolerant JW look at the teachings of Christ particularly parables such as the Good Samaritan and those that you should love like yourself are those that you may view as beyond the pale like the Samaritan and I am no expert (!) but quite a lot of the teachings of Christ are about tolerance. I hope this helps give my viewpoint and you may personally take a different one. But do come back to me with any further points, comments or information on the situation. Thanks again for emailing and very good luck! Best wishes Mike HancockMike Hancock CBE MP 1A, Albert Road SouthseaTel: 023 92 861055
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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Amelia Ashton
Hi Cantleave on Nugget's computer. Thanks again for today and thanks for doing the dishes too. Just to clarify, I am now atheist but my current beliefs about God and Christ were not my motivation for initially contacting the police. The issue for me was being labelled "mentally diseased" by a group of people purely because I stopped going to their meetings. I saw I was not protected by current legislation as being part of a recognisable targetable minority group.
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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Amelia Ashton
First, grateful thanks to Cantleave and Nugget for coming over today and supporting me throughout my visit with the Police Officer from the Hampshire Constabulary. Also to my daughter Emma who very bravely went to our local KH and procured a copy of the offending July 15th Watchtower as it had been suggested an actual copy of the magazine would be better than a computer printout of the on-line version. Nugget underlined the most pertinent points we wanted to make. We explained there were two versions of The Watchtower magazine distributed. The one we were showing him was the one for members only but there is another toned down version available for the general public. He thought it very strange there were two versions of the same magazine and noted it down. After reading the portions Nugget had underlined and writing down some of them on a pad he told us that unless the "mentally diseased" label is used face to face and personally, no crime has been committed. On a more positive note he informed us that his report would be assigned a crime number and entered into the UK's national database. This means the information we gave would be flagged up and could be used as a foundation for any future complaints against WTBTS. Edited to say: thanks for the update Nugget, sorry to duplicate some but posting from a Blackberry is a nightmare.
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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Amelia Ashton
Thank you to everyone for all your help, support and words of wisdom and especially all your encouragement. I really appreciate all yourtime and effort. Cantleave and Nugget are coming round tomorrow so I know we will be giving this the best shot we possibly can. Amelia xxx
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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Amelia Ashton
I am in UK. Thanks Hadit, great points!
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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Amelia Ashton
Lifted from the Police website. For the police service to be truly effective and provide an appropriate level of service to the victims of hate crime / hate incidents, it is important that the community has the confidence to report hate crime. A hate incident is defined as: 'Any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate based on age, disability, gender, homophobia, racism, religion, transphobia'.
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"Mentally Diseased" are confirmed as offensive words of hate crime. Help needed, please.
by Amelia Ashton inmy youngest is studying law.
browsing through one of her books i came across a chapter freedom of association.
it covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc.
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Amelia Ashton
My youngest is studying law. Browsing through one of her books I came across a chapter Freedom of Association. It covers the well known categories, colour, race, religion, sexuality etc. Not ex members of religions though. Coincidentally (I do believe in these now) our Police here have set up a website offering advice for victims. I sent this: Hello, I have a query regarding hate crime but its not LGBT related. I would be grateful if my query could be directed to the correct department. Briefly, I am a baptised Jehovah's Witness but no longer active. Last Sunday members were informed by the leaders to regard all ex members as "mentally diseased" and we are to be treated as if we were carrying a fatally contagious disease. This even includes any family members who have chosen to no longer attend meetings. (They don't like to call it church). I find it highly offensive my friends and I are labelled "mentally diseased" because we no longer choose to peddle their magazines. Thank you Amelia Ashton They emailed me back and informed me these words would be classed as hate crime. I then received a phone call and explained briefly the July 15 article. I have a Police officer coming Saturday 3PM to take more details. Please can I have your input on how best to convey the damage, suffering and pain this article has caused. Thank you Amelia I am pretty sure all paragraphing will disappear the moment I hit the submit button. Apologies xxx