It had to happen: some idiots calling themselves the American National Socialist Workers Party have started making damn fool comments about the Jena-6.
The FBI is reviewing a white supremacist Web site that purports to
list the addresses of five of the six black teenagers accused of
beating a white student in Jena and "essentially called for their
lynching," an agency spokeswoman said Saturday.
Sheila Thorne, an
agent in the FBI’s New Orleans office, said authorities were reviewing
whether the site breaks any federal laws. She said the FBI had
"gathered intelligence on the matter," but declined to further explain
how the agency got involved.
Before everyone gets too het up though remember that the Constitution does protect freedom of speech. So the American National Socialist Workers Party is indeed allowed to say pretty much whatever it wants, with one or two very important qualifications. It cannot, for example, incite violence. That’s why the FBI is saying that they’re looking at whether any Federal laws have been broken. "Essentially" calling for the lynching of the young men, however reprehensible ( and yes, of course I do think it’s reprehensible, but what I disapprove of and what’s against the law are two different things), might not actually be illegal: openly calling for them to be killed is. Depends, as ever, on exactly what they’re saying.
And, no, I’m not linking to the site of such ghastly little hatemongers to try and check what it is they do say.
The FBI’s involved because if it does break Federal law then they’ll be the people investigating it further: it clearly goes across State lines and quite probably includes the FBI’s favourite crime, wire fraud.
William A. "Bill" White, listed as the Web site’s editor and
commander of the American National Socialist Workers Party, did not
immediately answer an e-mail to his address. Calls to one of the two
William Whites listed in Roanoke were not answered; the other said he
was not involved with the site.
Blanco said Saturday that harassing families involved in the case "cannot and will not be tolerated."
"Public
attacks on private citizens done out of ignorance and hatred is
appalling, and anyone who stoops to such unspeakable persecution will
be investigated and subject to the full penalty of law," she said in a
statement.
Well, yes, they’re not allowed to harrass or to incite anyone to violence: but they are allowed to speak their beliefs, however loathsome, as long as they don’t cross those two lines. They also have to accept the conequences of said speech as well, which is probably why the phone isn’t being answered.
All of which gives us a damn good excuse to see these terrors of the Illinois Nazi Party once again.
And if you’re too young to know what I’m talking about then go rent the film. That’s what you do to Nazi’s.
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