South African woman fined $10,000 for racist comments

[inanna]

Source: Reuters

June 10, 2016

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African court on Friday ordered a woman to pay 150,000 rand ($9,941) to charity after she was found guilty of hate speech for referring to blacks as "monkeys", News24 reported.

The case is the latest in a string of similar incidents that have laid bare the racial tensions that endure more than two decades after the end of apartheid rule.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) brought charges against former estate agent Penny Sparrow after she caused public outrage by saying on her Facebook page that blacks made beaches dirty like "wild monkeys".

Under apartheid law, South African beaches were racially segregated, with beaches like the one Sparrow referred to, reserved solely for whites.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/south-african-woman-fined-10-000-racist-comments-165710398.html

[scscholar]

1. Need more of that here

Those people need to pay.

[Captain Stern]

2. I'm all for that.

As long as I'm the only one that gets to decide who has to pay.

If not, then I'll just stick with the whole 'freedom of speech' thing.

[GulfCoast66]

5. Second that motion

Shocking how often I read here members wanting to limit the 1st amendment

[Jazzgirl]

12. It's not about limiting the first amendment.

And remember this was in South Africa, not the US. I am sick of mostly WHITE PEOPLE thinking its okay to make racist comments to someone cuz "free speech" bullshit. All that does is perpetuate the attitude that its okay to be racist. It also shows the fear WHITE PEOPLE have of people of color by using free speech. Fortunately there are laws against hate speech there.

[GulfCoast66]

15. South Africa can do as they like

I hate it when people make racist statements as well. I just do not want the power of government being used to punish that speech.

Employers, clubs, society as a whole...that is a different story.

And many of we white people have no fear of people of color. But a white person who works for me will fear for their job if I hear racist shit at work.

[oberliner]

6. Is this satire?

You can't really mean that.

[TipTok]

24. Folks like this always assume that the enlightened leaders...

... will make the same decisions they would.

Since they are obviously more enlightened than the ignorant masses.

[cstanleytech]

14. You would probably have to modify the Constitution to get such a thing past the courts otherwise

people would claim first amendment protection which the courts here in the US would have to then strike down the governments attempt to censor peoples speech.
Its not impossible to do of course, new amendments to the constitution have been passed before but it wouldnt be easy.

[Just reading posts]

16. You'd have to repeal the 1st Amendment. Good luck with that.

[scscholar]

17. Courts have already rulled over and over again...

that there are huge limits to the 1st amendment so this is already a crime here, but not enforced.

[Just reading posts]

18. Making a racist comment in the U.S. is a crime? Really?

this is is already a crime here, but not enforced.

Please tell us exactly what law is being broken in the United States when someone makes a racist remark.

[NutmegYankee]

21. BULLSHIT

There are no huge limits on freedom of speech. There were more back in the early 20th century, but that was reversed in the latter half.

Many people cite Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire and the “fighting words doctrine”, but that has been narrowed down to generally applying only to direct face-to-face personal insults by Cohen v. California (1971).

Other major cases:

Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Court held that government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless that speech is directed to inciting, and is likely to incite, imminent lawless action.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_v._Ohio

Under the imminent lawless action test, speech is not protected by the First Amendment if the speaker intends to incite a violation of the law that is both imminent and likely. While the precise meaning of "imminent" may be ambiguous in some cases, the court provided later clarification in Hess v. Indiana (1973). In this case, the court found that Hess's words did not fall outside the limits of protected speech, in part, because his speech "amounted to nothing more than advocacy of illegal action at some indefinite future time,"[1] and therefore did not meet the imminence requirement.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imminent_lawless_action

http://blog.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/legal-research/today-in-1973-supreme-court-expands-free-speech-in-hess-v-indiana/

[IronLionZion]

3. Sounds like she could join Trump's campaign

Since she knows some wonderful thoughtful black people.

[Demonaut]

4. common term in England without racial overtones and Sparrow would be of british lineage

but a very stupid thing to say in SA
On edit
wow, missed the entire post of what she said, she'll not get many houses sold with that attitude

fucking racist idiot

[pennylane100]

8. Well I have been gone from there for a long time

but I do not remember when it was common to call black people monkeys openly. . Yes, it is true true that the England I left was somewhat racist, including members of my family, However insulting them openly was not a common
practice that I remember.

[Demonaut]

9. wow, re-read my own post, meant it was applied to children and not black adults

I sound racist.

[pennylane100]

13. So sorry.

I should not post when I am so tired that I am falling asleep. Yes, of course we all referred to little children as little monkeys, I remember that well.

[NobodyHere]

7. She sounds like Gandhi

[christx30]

11. Use of the word "Bitch"

can be considered sexist. That'll be $10,000 please. Cash or credit is ok.

Not fun when it happens to you. That's why I prefer freedom of speech.

[Reter]

19. Looks like the poster got fined, with a hide

[christx30]

20. A perfect object lesson in the dangers of hate speech laws.

We're all happy when the laws are used against someone we don't like or that we disagree with. But eventually they can come back to bite us all in the butt.

Goodnight, ladies and gentlemen. Remember to tip your waitstaff.

[Marengo]

22. That poster could make a $10,000 donation to DU...

To demonstrate her devotion to the concept.

[mackdaddy]

23. "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it."

Voltaire.