Sedition refers to the uttering or writing of words intended to bring the sovereign state into hatred or contempt, to urge disaffection against the Constitution or democratically elected government, or the attempt to procure change in government by unlawful means. Modern sedition laws, such as those enacted in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and The Council of Europe target types of speech advocating violence against the state, in the form of religious sermons preaching violent jihad or glorifying acts of terrorism, although they have the potential to cover much more than this
1. Modern 'sedition' law and the 'glorification' of terrorism : a legislative overview -- 2. Free speech and democracy : the problem of 'line-drawing' -- 3. Can saying so make it so? : the relation between speech and action -- 4. Speech and harm -- 5. Truth, autonomy and the 'marketplace' of ideas -- 6. Imitation, belief formation and media technologies -- 7. Policy implications.
This book employs the theoretical framework of 'speech act theory' to analyse current legislative frameworks and cases pertaining to sedition or the advocacy of violence and the issue of freedom of speech. An analysis of the relation between speech and action offers a promising way of clarifying confusion over the contested status of speech, which advocates violence as a political strategy. This account reflects an understanding of philosophical issues about both the nature of freedom and speech and how these issues can be applied to concrete legal problems. This approach will shed new light o
Problem melden