Vigilates, Good Or Bad?

[youngmafbog]

http://news.sky.com/story/1426605/anonymous-hackers-to-expose-child-sex-abusers

Whilst I deplore vigilantism, one does have to share a sense of frustration and lack of trust of the authorities especially when some of this appears to go right to the top.

As well as child abusers they seem to be able to track ISIS. I am pretty sure the Government have people working for them with equal or better skills so it does all rather look like Government (and I include all parties in this) inaction over the years. So are this bunch right?

[ToraToraTora]

The problem arises when they pick on someone innocent.

[jim360]

If this does lead to actual prosecutions then well done Anonymous. But it's more likely to lead to more official (albeit slower) investigations being disrupted, which in turn reduces the chance of culprits being caught.

[sandyRoe]

Vigilantes are a bad idea. We've seen kangaroo courts here in the past where young men were sentenced to be 'kneecapped' (shot through the knee) or ordered into exile for crimes like joyriding or burglary.
The irony of it was the people doing the sentencing were a hundred times worse than those they sentenced.

[jackthehat]

Hmmmmm.....it's a bit of a double-edged sword.
Disseminating 'factual' information is one thing......but spreading hearsay and conjecture is quite another.

Plus once the troglodytes get hold of names and addresses, it's probably too much to hope that they will let it pass without resorting to the 'pitchforks and flaming torches' we have seen in the past.

[retrocop]

TTT
Exactly. Some poor paediatrician got a right pasting as a result of his title.
I do expect, that the authorities in this country will have a large scale problem to deal with in the light of increased threat levels and those who wish to address these level of threats for themselves.

[-Talbot-]

I wish they would expose some of these untouchables.(with real evidence)
Unfortunatly I think it will be used as a tool to deflect atention away from the abusers.

[anotheoldgit]

No not a good idea, but when it might take up to fours years to conduct the Westminster child abuse inquiry, is it any wonder the public are getting a little concerned?

Why fours years, who amongst the mighty are likely to 'pop their clogs' within the next four years?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2949476/Westminster-child-abuse-inquiry-FOUR-years-New-Zealand-judge-warns-faces-biggest-challenge.html

[youngmafbog]

Well that's the problem AOG. I'm not keen on vigilantes due to the problems mentioned above. but I can also understand the frustration of not being able to get to the law makers (and upholders) themselves who are guilty of these despicable crimes.

[Old_Geezer]

In certain incidents one can see they can ensure justice where someone is getting away with it, but overall they have to be considered bad for there is no control. The times they seem to achieve something one can approve of is more than negated by the times they get it wrong. That's why the legal system has many checks & balances.

And in any case one suspects even if they are getting past red tape and loopholes to achieve something, much of the time they will go overboard unable to control mob emotions.

[andy-hughes]

I understand the frustration in any citizen who sees injustice and wishes it could be dealt with speedily and properly.

The problem is when individuals translate that frustration into action.

This creates an entire raft of problems, not least of which is an increasing sense that the vigilante is above the law because of his or her sense of frontier justice being administered, and the lines can get very blurred very quickly.

I always recall the line spoken by Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, about how you end up '... executing your neighbour because his dog wees on your lawn ..' (slightly amended!), and that the law is flawed, but it is still the best option we have.

That line was spoken in 1971 - I have seen and heard nothing to dent the veracity of its content since then.

[ToraToraTora]

magnum Force Andy, and Dirty Harry was correct, once you go down that route that's how its ends.