thinkofthechildren.co.uk censored

[Major Variola (ret)]

http://www.TheRegUS.com/content/6/26426.html

Host pulls satire site after police 'incitement' claim
                      By Tim Richardson
                      Posted: 09/25/2002 at 05:51 EST

                      A satirical Web site that attempted to parody
concerns over child safety has
                      been shut down following the intervention of
police.

                      Thinkofthechildren.co.uk was pulled on Monday
after officers from the
                      Metropolitan Police Service's Obscene Publications
and Internet Unit
                      contacted the site's hosts alleging that that it
could incite others to violence.

                      Police said they approached Host Europe after they
received a number of
                      complaints about the site from concerned members
of the public.

                      Host Europe shut down the site after they failed
to contact the site's owner.

                      However, the incident has sparked a strongly
worded response from those
                      running the site.

                      A message reads: "Sorry, Thinkofthechildren.co.uk
has been torched by an
                      angry mob."

                      "There was no warrant issued. No form of official
order at all. Just a polite
                      request - which was immediately complied with," it
says.

                      For those of who didn't see the site before it was
pulled, the first paragraph
                      read: "We are concerned parents, many of whom have
children of our own
                      and who want the law changed to protect them.
Every day in Britain happy,
                      popular children who do well at school are being
murdered by evil paedophile
                      scum. Well enough's enough! Its time the law got
tough on child murderers."

                      However, the site's owners claim this was all part
of the satire and explain that
                      it should be interpreted as follows: "This is a
work of satire. It might not be
                      very funny satire, but it is satire. It is in no
way an incitement to commit mob
                      violence. It is quite obvious to anyone who reads
any of the words on the site
                      that it is a piece of comment on Britain's
tabloid-fuelled, pig-ignorant mob
                      culture."

                      Those behind the site say they are seeking legal
advice before deciding what to
                      do next.

                      They conclude: "I'll leave you to ponder the irony
of a site parodying mob
                      culture being removed on the basis of complaints
from a tiny group of very
                      stupid - but very loud - members of the public."

                      No one from Thinkofthechildren.co.uk was available
for comment at the time
                      of writing. .