It's not really that I search for these articles. But I do read the papers.

Well, in this case, we learn what is not a crime -- any kind of crime, hate crime or otherwise -- in London, England. Make sure you watch the video. Scroll down under the photograph of the fellows with signs reading such loving sentiments as...

SLAY THOSE WHO INSULT ISLAM

BUTCHER THOSE WHO MOCK ISLAM

BEHEAD THOSE WHO INSULT ISLAM

EUROPE, YOU WILL PAY: ANNIHILATION IS ON ITS WAY ...

...and you'll see the words "this clip." Takes you back to those heady jihad days of February of this year. Even if it's an itty bitty percentage, say like 1% of 1% of the world's Muslims -- 130,000 non-criminals of this nature are not the kind of neighbors I'd want anywhere close to me. Even 19 of them in the neighborhood might be, uh, unsettling. Who among us would feel real comfie walking past this crowd wearing a Little Mermaid t-shirt, for example?

Some might even call it "the tip of the iceberg?"

Or does that term only apply to "bad apple" US Marines? Quien sabe?

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Why do you say it is not a crime?

On 7 March 2006, having reviewed 60 hours of footage from closed-circuit television, amongst other evidence, and after consultation with and authorisation by the Crown Prosecution Service, the Metropolitan police annouced, "We have been advised today that there are sufficient grounds to arrest individuals for offences under the Public Order Act. This includes offences that are racially or religiously aggravated" ^[28]. It was reported in The Sun that 22 individuals had "been considered for prosecution and police are trying to identify all of them" ^[29].

On 15 March 2006, five men were arrested and charged for their roles in the protests; one of them was charged and held in custody, two were charged and released on police bail to attend court, and the remaining two were released on police bail for further inquiries. Further arrest were made in the following months and a total of six people have been criminally charged.

• Anjem Choudary, 39, of Wellesley Road, Ilford, Essex, was originally released on bail to return to a police station on 19 April "pending investigations into material recovered in searches". However, he was arrested again on 7 May at Stansted Airport and taken into custody at a London police station. Choudary was charged under the Public Order Act with organising a procession without the required written notification to the police. Choudary was the leader of al Ghurabaa and the "right-hand man of radical Muslim cleric, Omar Bakri Mohammed" who is banned from the UK ^{[30] [31]}. [32][33]

• Abdul Muhid, 22, of Batten House, The Drive, Walthamstow, east London, was also bailed to return to a police station on 19 April after further enquiries. Muhid was arrested with Choudary again on 7 May at Stansted Airport. He was charged with two counts of soliciting to murder when he appeared at Bow Street Magistrates' Court. He will be tried at Britain's most famous criminal court, the Old Bailey on 23 June. Muhid is a prominent member of The Saviour Sect and was also arrested in 2005 after complaints that a man had called for British troops in Iraq to be killed and for homosexuals to be hurled from cliff tops, but the charges were dropped by the CPS due to there "not [being] a realistic prospect of conviction" due to problems of proving identity ^{[34] [35] [36]}.

• Mizanur Rahman, 23, of Edmonton, north London, was charged with soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred.[37]

• Uman Javed, 26, of Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, was charged with soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred and remanded in custody. He was denied bail and not asked to enter a plea. He will be tried at the Old Bailey on 7 April ^{[38] [39] [40] [41]}.

• Omar Zaheer, of Derwent Road, Southall, west London, was charged with racially aggravated disorderly behaviour and disorderly behaviour and released on bail to appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court on 31 March ^{[42] [43]}.

• Abdul Rahman Saleem, 31, of Mellish Street in east London, was charged with using words likely to stir up racial hatred and released on bail to appear at West London Magistrates' Court on 31 March ^{[44] [45]}.

The police have dropped the charges against Mr. Zaheer because as reported in that blog, they are no longer satisfied it was him.  Better luck with the rest hopefully.

If this were to happen again, I assure you that the arrests would be made on the day.  Too bad they weren't then, but I suppose they were trying to contain a volatile situation.

Sorry, double post.

But since I'm here already, I will state that this blog is not 'the news'.  This is the website of a sad, angry and fixated individual who has a banner saying that his blog is worth a lot of money, how much is yours worth?

I'll do my best to avoid it again, but if he runs the story of how the 'one credible informant' for the Forest Gate raids that ended with the police shooting someone in their boxer shorts was ruled an 'incompetent' by a judge for having an IQ of 69, do let me know.

Your Wikipedia article is still a little dated. March 2006 looks to be the most recent. Get back to me when you discover what the respective sentences are for "soliciting murder" etc. I really am curious. 

Like here in SoCal when we have a high speed freeway chase that interrupts TV programming until the suspect is captured face downn and cuffed, it is not the end of the story.  Myself, I crave the follow-up.  Some of the cases would have appeared to have been dispatched by now but I cannot find any sentencing details on line. 

Meantime good old Anjem Choudary hasn't stayed shut-in after his February brush with the law. Two weeks ago:

At Friday's demonstration outside Forest Gate police station protesters chanted: "British police go to hell" and "Tony Blair murderer" and waved plaques condemning the police and the government.

Protest organiser Anjem Choudary said: "When you start to violate the sanctity of Muslims and their homes, and handle their mothers and fathers then there is going to be some kind of backlash."

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, has defended the raid.

Anjem Choudary, former UK head of the Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, and right-hand man to Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, the so-called Cleric of Hate, told demonstrators: "We have a right to defend ourselves. We will defend ourselves as a community, our lives, our honour. Cowardice and Islam cannot be in the heart of a Muslim at the same time."

He added: "The Muslim community today are treated as second class citizens. There is a shoot and ask questions later policy which has been facilitated by a whole raft of Draconian laws.

"The police at the end of the day are implementing policies introduced by this government."

The noisy demonstration outside Forest Gate police station was contained within a police pen opposite. Protestors waved placards against police tactics and shouted: "Hands off Muslims. Tony Blair is a terrorist and Tony Blair, watch your back."

I'm thinking the "Tony Blair, watch your back" is just friendly cautionary advice in these dangerous times. 

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

If I find any sentencing details, I will let you know.

I'll wait until then to expect your climbdown on describing what took place in the photos as 'not a crime'.

Is that all you're waiting for, Andrew? If so, I'll step down right now. Glad to see the consistency in also arresting the "solicitors of murder" (allegedly because it's hard to be certain) along with the two guys busted for carrying Mohammed cartoon posters.

Not being a big believer in hate speech crimes in the first place, I'm not sure how to quantify what went on in that video I cringed my way through. I would NOT expect the most serious charge of "solicitation to murder" will stand up in court. Heat of the moment and all can lead to out of unbridled emotion. Action = cartoon publication. Reaction = calls to BEHEAD, SLAY and BUTCHER. Humiliating stuff like that is likely to illicit rage. Defense attorney tactics may run along those lines. 

I suspect if these blokes had any imminent plans to behead, slay or butcher (not to mention bomb) Danes, Americans or Brits, they'd have kept their plans closer to the vest than trumpeting it on the streets of London. No, I wouldn't suspect they'll do any jail time but I may be surprised.

My larger point was that I would not be happy with these guys as neighbors. Were I with British intelligence I'd be all over them and their organizations too. One can only hope they are on top of the situation. How surprising would it be if any one of them actually carried out an attack? Not very.

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Chris is still the funniest man in Seattle!  I will be looking for you to wear your T-shirt to the Cherry Pie picnic next month.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin