[YankBastard]

Mass protests to start in 3...2...1...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

'Happy slap' crackdown sparks row

PARIS, France (AP) -- A new law in France makes it a crime -- punishable by up to five years in prison -- for anyone who is not a professional journalist to film real-world violence and distribute the images on the Internet.

[ilv2]

huh. the government is still working?
I suppose, this is what happens when 98 % of the representatives are out doing something else (or better) and some idiot finds the time to sneak in a special clause in somewhere.

[Nanbawan]

As usual, one real issue and in the end, a stupid law ! One of France's trademarks really ; whenever you face a problem, rather than tackling it with the existing laws, just vote a new one ! What a mess ! The country's jail are already overcrowded, one can expect that there will be several litigious cases out of this shit. More innocent guys in preventive jail, just what everybody needs...

[guignol]

just a second. this law is specifically aimed at punks who beat up people just to be able to film it with their phones and brag about it with their pals. there's not going to be any special (and impossible) surveillance of internet. the law is going to be used to increase the penalties of those who participate in or encourage this kind of gratuitous violence.

the freedom of speech advocates cite cases concerning police brutality, and there have been some filmed by amateurs. but these end up on the 8 o'clock news! and professional journalists aren't concerned by this law.

every country has laws that could be considered "totalitarian". how they're used and enforced is a much more important consideration, and in this respect, france is no more totalitarian than england or the US, loin s'en faut.

[from the plaines]

^
I see your point in ways. But attacking people is already against the law, if anything doesn't posting it on-line make it easier to get a conviction? If anything why not just have a way where people can annoumus tip of the police on people who are doing it. And recive a reward if there is a conviction. They do that here for drug dealers and other crimes and it seems to work pretty well.