08-20-2009, 11:10 AM
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My hips don't lie
Industry Role:
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 10,129
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In Quebec recently, a judge ordered a web forum to be closed because someone called a mayor of small town a bitch and said she was crazy... Freedom of speech is slipping away around here...
Quote:
Translation Curteousy of LasD
This past Wednesday, the Superior Court of Québec ruled in favour of Louise Major and of Jean Lacroix the mayor of Rawdown and the city sheriff respectively. The ruling forced the website in question to be shutdown.
This announcement was made last week after the judge, Danielle Richer, made her decision on the case.
The website www.rawdon.qc.net had been around since 2004 and was mostly used by the citizens of Rawdon in order to keep track of cultural events and other social-related events. Citizens were using nicknames for communicating.
Using the cloak of anonymity, there sometimes were however very harsh comments published concerning the leading parties of Rawdon, in Lanaudière. Some comments stated that the mayor was "deeply paranoid", "the bitch" and
"maireSS" which is a word play on mayor and the SS, representing the nazi regime.
According to the judge, Danielle Richer, the comments left on the city's website not only portrayed the municipality in a negative way but the comments were also very biased and did not tend to be base on any facts.
FEEDBACK FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE :
Robert Coulombe, which is the president of the city of Quebec coalition (the UMQ, in short and in French) was very excited and much in favour of the judge`s decision as it sends a clear message to the Internet users.
"Justice was served. Because we have been elected by the people, we sometimes are getting bashed, but that, we can cope with it. However we will not stand with continuous harassment." commented Mr. Coulombe.
Carl-Éric Thérien, who was representing the mayor throughout this case, also mentioned he was satisfied on the conclusion taken by the judge. He mentioned that Internet is no safe ground for people deviating from laws and that, even though they can critic, people should never be able to commit verbal assaults and standby biased comments.
Matthew Johnson who is the head spokesman for Réseau Éducation-Médias, which is an organisation fighting against cyber-intimidation, mentions that the number of cases of people posting online defamation was growing.
He adds that a lot of Internet users firmly believe that they are fully anonymous when online. However, it is so easy track down the people posting online messages, he concluded.
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