UK comic books under threat
p2pnet news view Politics | Freedom:- “Do you own any of the following,” wonders Comic Shop Voice.
Wanted (Top Cow); Batman: The Killing Joke (DC); Watchmen (DC); Punisher (Marvel); Lost Girls (Top Shelf Productions); Manga (pick a title); Cerebus (Aardvark Vanaheim); or,(and more.
Because if you do, “Congratulations you are a comic book fan and the government would like to arrest you, fine you, confiscate your comic collection and ask you to sign the sex offenders’ list.”
The UK government, that is.
For now.
The post goes on »»»
The Criminal Justice Act (2008) comes into effect at the end of January 2009 and says:
(2) An “extreme pornographic image” is an image which is both-
(a) pornographic, and
(b) an extreme image.
(3) An image is “pornographic” if it is of such a nature that it must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal.When the act comes into force the only exclusion is given to film which means the law could include cartoons and therefore comic books.
Comic Shop Voice says the act also mentions:
- an act which involves sexual interference with a human corpse (fair enough)
- a person performing an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal (whether dead or alive). (Again, can`t argue with that)
- an act which threatens a person`s life (Hold on! Isn`t that how Batman, Punisher, Judge Dredd get anything done?)
- an act which results, or is likely to result, in serious injury to a person`s anus, breasts or genitals. (A kick in the balls or arse would constitute this, and a kick in the balls is a well trodden part of humour)
Oh.
Because this is a minefield for the law, “it then falls on the Police to enforce it, and it is their judgement that could lead to a prosecution,” says the CSV protest, adding:
“And what is frightening about this law is that it gives them carte blanche to invade our lives, to shut down our comic shops and ultimately it could lead to censorship of books and films as well.”
“It may be too late but laws can be changed,” says CVS, and “Ultimately we elect the likes of Brown, Cameron & the MP’s and if they do not perform to the will of the people they can and should be un-elected at the next election”.
It suggests anyone who’s worried should quickly contact the three MP’s largely responsible, “and indeed most vocal supporters for the Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008.
This may not have carried much weight BTN (Before the Net), but now everyone is in touch with everyone else …
The three MPs are:
- Jack Straw MP – justice minister.
MP for Blackburn.
Email: blackburnlabour@hotmail.com
Phone: 01254 52317
By post to: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA or
Constituency Office
Richmond Chambers
Richmond Terrace
Blackburn, BB1 7AS - Maria Eagle MP – deputy justice minister
MP for Liverpool, Garston
Email: eaglem@parliament.uk
Phone: 0207 219 4019
Fax: 0207 219 1157
By post to: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA - Martin Salter MP – MP for Reading
Email: salterm@parliament.uk
Phone: (0118) 954 6782
By post to: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA or
413 Oxford Road, Reading RG30 1HA
Stay tuned.
Comic Shop Voice – Government moves to ban certain comic books, January, 2009
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February 2nd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
» Jack Straw MP – justice minister.
MP for Blackburn.
Email: blackburnlabour@hotmail.com
Justice Minister at Hotmail??? To evade recordkeeping rules?
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:44 am
I don’t see why they should worry all that much about Cerebus fans. The book had a low original print run and I doubt the UK government would want to tangle with anyone who had the extremely humongous reprint volumes that could probably serve as catapult ammo.
In any case, there have been some attempts at using existing laws to handle matters of controversy, and comics have been controversial since the 1950s. So now they’re going to try to draft a new law? It seems worded as ambiguously as anything else they’ve been trying to use.
Bring out the catapults!
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:19 am
See what is is like without freedom of speech?
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
“an act which results, or is likely to result, in serious injury to a personâs anus, breasts or genitals. (A kick in the balls or arse would constitute this, and a kick in the balls is a well trodden part of humour)”
isn’t this how british police arrest ppl every day?
February 4th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Well that’s my boxed sets of ‘The Young Ones’ and ‘Bottom’ off to landfill then.
In the words of Neil: “What a bummer, man”.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:41 pm
I don’t have any answers but I sure wish they’d stop trying to legislate morality. Especially when it turns out so often (in reality) that what is good for the goose IS NOT good for the gander. IOW…And this is as old saying I just made up: Do as I mandate YOU must do…NOT as what I am DOING behind closed doors.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
*Sigh* so my arse is off to prison for all the Hentai I own as well draw, and my X-Men & Venom collection. Bummer
( x