http://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2024/08/09/ingsoc-is-real-uk-government-tweets-horrifying-warning-to-people-posting-on-social-media-n2399411
For reference purposes, INGSOC (English Socialism) was Oceania's political system in George Orwell's book "1984." INGSOC uses a cult of personality to create reverence for the ruler, "Big Brother," while the inner circle of INGSOC exercises day-to-day dictatorial power.
Pardon our bad Cockney accent, but what in the bloody 'ell is going on over in the U.K.?
Earlier this week, Twitchy reported about how the British government had arrested at least one person for the Orwellian cause of 'Facebook crimes.' Then on Wednesday, the same British government warned its subjects that they could be arrested for retweeting something deemed 'hateful.'
God in Heaven, we wish we were joking.
All of this is stemming from a mass stabbing in Southport at the end of July. Following that, multiple videos surfaced of Muslim immigrants violently attacking people in the streets of Birmingham, with seemingly no response from the police. Across parts of England and Northern Ireland, citizens rose up against all of this violence with protests, some turning into riots, that lasted for a week. Of course, the U.K. government labeled those protesters 'far-right extremists' and began kicking in doors and raiding homes. Not the homes of violent immigrants, mind you, but the homes of citizens protesting.
Unbelievable.
Now, the U.K. seems intent on truly turning itself into Oceania from Orwell's 1984, threatening people with arrest and jail for unapproved speech.
Yesterday the Crown Protective Services and the account of the U.K. government issued these two ominous tweets that just scream, 'Big Brother is watching you.'
GOV.UK (@GOVUK) ~ Think before you post.
Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) ~ Think before you post! 📲✋ Content that incites violence or hatred isn't just harmful - it can be illegal.
The CPS takes online violence seriously and will prosecute when the legal test is met. Remind those close to you to share responsibly or face the consequences.
Video ~ http://x.com/i/status/1821227881575403810
Good Lord. They might as well have raised the IngSoc flag from Orwell's novel above 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
(These days, though, maybe the U.K. government would prefer the Hamas flag.)
Twitter did not exactly respond well -- or at least not compliantly -- to this threat.
Jon Gabriel (@exjon) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} Think before you pass the Stamp Act and quarter troops in colonists' homes.
Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK}
James Lindsay, anti-Communist (@ConceptualJames) ~{Replying to @GOVUK}
Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} I've never been more grateful that our forefathers crossed the Delaware on Christmas to kill British law enforcers.
Inappropriate Ray of ☀️ (Sworn Enemy of Rufus!) (@MrsRotnjetski) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK}
We like the sentiment there. But we have a better flag for that meme.
Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} No.
That's more like it.
EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} No.
Video clip ~ http://twitter.com/i/status/1821642576254156842
Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive ... it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it ...”
Liberty-loving residents of the UK — go ahead and borrow this. It looks like you need it right now.
http://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} Looks like we made the right decision 248 years ago. You guys suck.
Kron (@Kronykal) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} Stop being fascist pricks.
It's easy for Americans to say all these things though. It took some guts for English people to do the same yesterday, considering that their government was openly threatening them.
Paul Jones (@20Paw7) ~ We’re basically now living in China.
Jonny (@jonnyfrost) ~ This is INSANE! Are we living in North Korea?
Brian (@drifftiger) ~ Will not listen to you until you listen to us. The Islamic radicals are taking over, and I, as a patriot and veteran, cannot let it happen. I don't condone violence, but until our parliament protects its own people, then unfortunately this is what festers.
Rusty (@LieutenantRusty) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} I’ve got my license to post whatever I want, no matter what you think about it. Here’s what it looks like:
British folks probably wish they had one of those right about now.
Billboard Chris (@BillboardChris) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} YOU are inciting hatred with this post. Straight to jail!
Oh, the irony. The U.K. government warning against hate speech by using a free speech platform like Twitter to tell its subjects how much they hate them.
Kaya (@sisterinferior) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} Guess I won't be visiting your soon-to-be Arab nation ever again.
This writer loves the U.K. and has visited often. But never again. Not while this insane, authoritarian government is in charge, anyway.
George Wept (@GeorgeWept) ~ {Replying to @GOVUK} Thank God we kicked you idiots to the curb.
There were so many more responses just like this. Like we said, more than 33,000. And even more than that with some very naughty language reserved for the U.K. government (it involved a lot of middle fingers). Too bad they can't arrest us.
Accordingly, we turn to our favorite (and more wholesome) childhood educational show, Schoolhouse Rock to remind everyone why they can't arrest us.
Video ~ http://youtu.be/PBBTF0Wg7dY
We loved that program so much.
All we can say is, thank God for the First Amendment in America.
Yes, we're aware that the U.S., particularly during the Biden administration, is edging close to this type of punishment of speech and thoughtcrime. Even the Democrats' vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz, recently demonstrated that he thought speech he didn't like should not be protected.
But we still have many protections provided by the First Amendment, not to mention that pesky Second Amendment, which would make the government knocking down everyone's doors a little more difficult than in disarmed Great Britain.
At least ... we have those protections for now.
If Americans aren't smart enough to kick Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the curb in November, who knows how much longer we will have our beloved -- and very necessary -- 1A and 2A?
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