Columnist Enlists Anonymous to Take Down Rapists

[NWJ94]

On the one hand if I were in their position I would probably want the rapists hides nailed to my wall. And I know enough about how dumb justice can be to see a botched investigation into this without any difficulty.

On the other hand,this is all still alleged crimes and bringing in mob rule, particular a mob without a great track record IMO, seems to have a high risk of causing more problems then it would solve. Anonymous might have good ideals, but their execution of said ideals leaves a lot to be desired.

Just my two cents, my deepest sympathy for the family, what a terrible tragedy.

 

[ecoho]

And tell me, what happens when vigilante justice is the ONLY justice?

ALLEGED rapists.

What the bleeding fuck is happening to "innocent until proven otherwise"?

Yeah, because teenage girls kill themselves all the time over ALLEGED bullying.

I'm not saying that they are free of guilt. However, unless there is conclusive/overwhelming evidence they actually did rape her, destroying their and their families' lives for it is unjust.

They are, on the other hand and in my eyes, fair game after it has been proven.

"We do not approve of vigilante justice as the media claims. That would mean we approve of violent actions against these rapists at the hands of an unruly mob. ...

Well, I do approve of vigilante justice and I would break into a pretty big grin if, following publications of their names, they turned up hanging from trees with their entrails loose.

What is it people think is so just about the state locking criminals away at an annual cost of between 25,000 and 44,000 pounds a year (speaking of England, and depending on the facility), courtesy of the taxpayer- which includes victims and their families? Especially when the emphasis of these facilities is on reform and not punishment.

The only means of acquiring justice in a country that has abandoned the death penalty is with your own hands.

You're confusing justice and revenge there, mate.

ok from what ive read on this there is a video implicating them in the crime. As such i say take them to the hospital knock them out and make them unichs, for basterds like that dont deserve to reproduce ever.

 

[emeraldrafael]

For this though... I dont know. Yeah its terrible they raped her, and yeah its sad she died, but I dont think bringing anon into this is the right way to about it. Anon themselves are questionable at best, and anytime they come in it always leaves someone miserable because they dont know/understand/practice holding back. So sure they could probably get the identities of these kids, but whats that going to do? They're going to be shamed maybe (I dont know their situation or how NS is but if its like stubenville they could be king hogs on the high hills and this could only inflate them more), and if by held accountable you mean "anon will tell news and leak it out ot he public where someone close may kill/brutally beat these kids" then sure.

There's no other way to go about it. They weren't charged; they got off Scott free. The girl got gang raped and committed suicide after being publicly humiliated; a brutal beating or death is almost too kind.

maybe, one life for another is nevera good thing and killing four people and making them miserable is not going ot brng her back, justify the suicide, or do anyhting except ruin 4+(the boys' families) lives. I know this is canada, and I know the cynics like to think canadians are better but they also have a court and justice system that should be followed. And anon is doing anything but following that and should not even be included in the equation.

 

[Doom972]

ALLEGED rapists.

What the bleeding fuck is happening to "innocent until proven otherwise"?

I don't know if they did rape her - but from what I read, there's no doubt that they bullied her until committed suicide - so they might not be rapists, but they're definitely not innocent.

Anons seem like bullies to me, but I don't have a problem with them helping if they bring these guys to justice.

 

[Canadish]

This whole thing sounds weird. First and foremost is the fact Anonymous is answering a call to arms. What happened to "Not your personal army"?

In terms of the case, I really don't know any more then has been said here so I don't wanna make any judgements. As others have said, they're still only alleged to have committed the crime, not proven. Innocent until proven guilty. Saying that though, the fact there was supposed evidence getting passed around would surely be pretty incriminating here? It's also pretty easy to take the poor lass at her word, but she could have a reason for making it up we're unaware of, she wouldn't be the first after all.

If they were found innocent though, then surely this should have been dropped? The only reason to bring it back up would be if there was some doubt into the process itself and the motivations/capability of those involved in the court, and this isn't really a matter where wider politics or financial benefit stands to be gained from any of the parties involved. At least on the surface of it anyway. There is no doubt the courts in most western countries are pretty dodgy when it comes to political matters.

I'm just not seeing reason to doubt the motivations of the court or justice system here. I've not lived in Canada for a long time now, so there may be some issue I'm unaware of that's going on here.

If there IS a reason to doubt the justice system's integrity, then it becomes much harder to argue against the morality of vigilante justice.

Regardless of the wider circumstances, I feel for the family. I can't say I feel happy or angry about the whole situation though, not without any facts in hand to make a proper judgement here.

 

[Johkmil]

Let us not call for beating them up; violence is cheap. A trip to the hospital is the worst that could happen. Making sure they are forever linked to the crime they've committed, however, marking them as villains and unfit for any civilized society, is a much better long-term solution. They must learn their lesson. Actions have consequences; this is first and foremost of the principles of any enforcement of the law. The only thing worse than crime is apathy in law enforcement, which necessitates (not justifies, those are not the same) the involvement of such as Anonymous.

 

[Irridium]

ALLEGED rapists.

What the bleeding fuck is happening to "innocent until proven otherwise"?

So the photo of the attack they spread around the school doesn't count?

 

[SecondPrize]

Wait a second. So they're HIS private army but not mine? I wish I had a private army. I'm all for vigilante justice in this case though, despite what very little I know about it.

 

[Callate]

One way or another, I somehow don't see this ending well.

Cry havoc...

 

[Sean951]

I think it's more of a "Hey, you internet-type peoples! You might not have heard about this case, but you did good work for the case in Ohio, so maybe look into it since our police failed to do anything?

Besides, like the article said, they admit that they are just one little part of the group. Others may go farther, some will probably ignore it.

 

[nathan-dts]

For this though... I dont know. Yeah its terrible they raped her, and yeah its sad she died, but I dont think bringing anon into this is the right way to about it. Anon themselves are questionable at best, and anytime they come in it always leaves someone miserable because they dont know/understand/practice holding back. So sure they could probably get the identities of these kids, but whats that going to do? They're going to be shamed maybe (I dont know their situation or how NS is but if its like stubenville they could be king hogs on the high hills and this could only inflate them more), and if by held accountable you mean "anon will tell news and leak it out ot he public where someone close may kill/brutally beat these kids" then sure.

There's no other way to go about it. They weren't charged; they got off Scott free. The girl got gang raped and committed suicide after being publicly humiliated; a brutal beating or death is almost too kind.

maybe, one life for another is nevera good thing and killing four people and making them miserable is not going ot brng her back, justify the suicide, or do anyhting except ruin 4+(the boys' families) lives. I know this is canada, and I know the cynics like to think canadians are better but they also have a court and justice system that should be followed. And anon is doing anything but following that and should not even be included in the equation.

The justice system is evidently flawed given that they weren't charged. These people ruined someone's life to the point that they took their own life. Someone has to be going through huge amounts of mental anguish to do that; that warrants a punishment that the courts don't give out, anymore.

Everyone has this need for revenge, and if your loved one went through this and the culprits weren't punished, I imagine you'd want that same revenge.

 

[emeraldrafael]

...

The justice system is evidently flawed given that they weren't charged. These people ruined someone's life to the point that they took their own life. Someone has to be going through huge amounts of mental anguish to do that; that warrants a punishment that the courts don't give out, anymore.

Everyone has this need for revenge, and if your loved one went through this and the culprits weren't punished, I imagine you'd want that same revenge.

Then its time for a reform of the justice system, not hire a group who borders on cyber terrorism to do it for you when they all and all can be argued as more evil because I'm sure every "justified" victim of Anon has had their life ruined.

and a friend did, it wasnt pretty after because she did get away with it because it was unthinkable that a woman would rape a man. Not one of us went after her with the intent of beating and abusing her, we just had to let it go.

maybe its just cause i dont like anon and think they do more harm than good (if they ever do any "real good") i just dont see the need for their involvement when they said they're not a personal army (despite it certainly looking that way) and after they decide to makea vague threat against a law/justice based organization. Nothing good is going to come from this other than four more kids will wind up either dead or severely beaten and four more families suffering because of the same mental anguish. Anon does not give slaps on the wrists, its always all in. and thats not how a society is supposed to work, especially one that is held to a somewhat morally high position like canada is.

These kids certainly need to be held accountable once its proven they're guilty, but anon is not the group that needs to be involved in doing so.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

This is actually kind of awesome IMO.
While I understand Due Process and what-not, This act of Anon will make some would-be-rapists think twice before ruining someone's life, knowing that a massive international collective will hunt their asses down.

That being said, I don't want them harmed, I want them tried and the fear of God put into them, show them that no deed goes unpunished.

 

[Therumancer]

Interesting, to be honest while Anonymous has gotten into so called "hactivism" and vigilante activity recently, that has never really been the nature of the "organization". Anonymous represents the primordial chaos of the internet, and really other than going after those infringing on the territory of The Internet it has little or no real involvement. Indeed it could be argued that at it's core Anonymous is a little more on the side of the rapists here than those wanting to bring them to justice, because they are on the side of hardcore pornography including really shocking stuff and it's distribution, I mean sites where Anonymous hangs out or are connected to them are generally where you'll find some of the most F@cked up and "sexist" crap you've ever seen, with part of the point being that the dark side of the internet is where they hail from.

Don't forget this is the group that pretty much terrorized Jessie Slaughter for being a bit of a twit on the internet, that whole thing with her father "Dong goofed", "cyberpolice", etc... all comes from them watching a little girl through her webcam, which they hacked.

One of the cardinal rules of Anonymous is also that they are not anyone's personal army. If they still hold to those ideals, I'd imagine trying to call Anonymous down on someone like this would wind up with exactly the wrong kind of attention coming to the person making the request. I'd kind of expect Kinsella to have just made himself a target for Anonymous.

As far as the proper way to "appeal to Anonymous" goes, the point is kind of that they are everywhere, specifically on the kinds of forums and image boards where there are no handles, everyone is listed as "Anonymous" which is where the name comes from. Those who care can typically only tell who you are if they pay attention to your address or even go through the trouble of finding out what it is. You pretty much hang out in that community, express your opinion about whomever is irritating you, and it's possible you'll get a raid of sorts going from people with the right skills who agree with you who are Anonymous, however if you come in and go "gee, I want someone to go hack these guys" that's exactly the way you don't do it.... not that I've ever had the interest in doing something like this.

At any rate, we'll see what happens, I'm neither an Anonymous fan or a hater, but I've been aware of them for a while, since before their hacktivism activities got attention. Their actions always seemed to be a mixed bag, but one thing that I believe has always been integral is for nobody to be able to use them as a "tool" or "sic" them on someone no matter how justified. Anonymous by definition stands for nothing, and that includes Justice.

That said it would be kind of cool of a bunch of hackers "got" these kids given the way this story sounds, but I think anyone who tries to appeal to Anonymous sort of misses the point.

 

[kael013]

[quote/]17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons of Halifax, Nova Scotia, committed suicide last week, 18 months after she was [b/]allegedly[/b] gang-raped by four boys and then subjected to a vicious bullying campaign spurred by a photo of the attack that was spread around her school by one of her attackers.[/quote]

Keyword there: ALLEGEDLY. There is a reason we civilized humans stopped taking the law into our hands Kinsella. Sometimes we are wrong -even the justice system doesn't have a perfect record here. If they were investigated but never charged it was most likely because there wasn't enough evidence for the charge. However, if the investigation was half-assed, then a call for another one would be in order. What is NOT called for is shaming 4 boys who may not have even committed a crime. Ever hear of group sex? Or the phrase "Innocent until proven guilty"? Because your words and actions say you've already condemned them without a trial. So chill.

ALLEGED rapists.

What the bleeding fuck is happening to "innocent until proven otherwise"?

So the photo of the attack they spread around the school doesn't count?

A photo proves nothing about intentions. Maybe they raped her, maybe she was willing. A photo can't tell us jack about that (if it had been a video though...).

 

[Weaver]

Anything that will put more eyes on the RCMP is a good thing, IMO.

I know many people outside of Canada don't know, and even many Canadians don't care; but the RCMP is blatantly and flagrantly corrupt. Every month it seems there are news stories of officers who abuse their power and just walk away (including 4 who were caught on camera all repeatedly tasering a man to death in an airport). They need to be held accountable, the entire system is so completely fucked up and broken.

 

[Darks63]

Considering what a monkey's paw Anonymous can be I'm wondering if this guy who called them out to"help" will regret it later.

I'm a man who believes in "rule of law", maybe to a fault. So, to me, this call to vigilantism seems to be counteractive to the actual "justice" they seek. If their plan succeeds, they will simply be subjecting more people to the same kind of bullying that the original victim suffered through. Torturing terrorists doesn't make you a hero. It makes you a terrorist, too.

If you feel that some injustice has been committed, then work within the system. While I'm not completely familiar with Canadian laws, it seems that they should have some sort of legal process through which one can try to bring true justice to the criminals in question or at least work to prevent things like this from happening in the future. However, if you subvert the law to your own ends, you are indicating that the very justice you are seeking does not apply to you. It's incredibly hypocritical and not at all productive from a societal growth standpoint.

Look into the Youth Criminal Justice Act here in Canada... basically it means children under 18 do not serve time for almost nay crime committed. It's not what was intended with the act, but children who commit crimes in Canada basically get off scott-free. It's a horrible system and has allowed some children to abuse the system and the general population is basicaly held hostage by these kids. Some set fires to people's houses, are released a day or two later, and then go torch another house. Sometimes with people in it. And then they get let off again because they're children. And the cycle repeats. It happens for minor crimes, and even murders. And kids know they won't get in much trouble.

Well thats the scariest law ive seen in a while thanks for that.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

0_o What happened to "not your personal army"?!

Well, ok. I hope they double check that they got the right guys.

You also need to look into the Harper Government we've got going on... we seriously aren't a democracy anymore. That man has turned Canada into something else entirely. No laws will be changed unless Harper himself decides he wants them changed. He's literally passing things through parliament on his own whim that are destroying the environment, keeping immigrants out of the country, signing our mineral wealth (and other things) away to other countries, and.. yeah, I'm too angry to continue. He seriously, actually does things that are illegal and flaunts it to the public.

This guy is right about everything except for one little fact...

He doesn't "flaunt it in the public's face". He instead spins everything he does as good, and the opposition as evil, and the mainstream media isn't all that on the ball about it.

Opposition tries to stop him from allowing china to sue us in private for loss of profits over the pipeline Harper is having built to sell them our oil? "THE OPPOSITION IS AGAINST STOPPING THE RECESSION AND WANTS TO DESTROY OUT ECONOMY! Meanwhile, look! Harper is having a photo-op with a Panda! See, he's the good guy! "

Harper rams through a law that removes protection for the overwhelming majority of our lakes and rivers in a 400 page BUDGET BILL, and the opposition gets upset at that? "AWWW THE OPPOSITION IS AGAINST THE ECONOMY AND WANTS YOU TO ALL LOSE YOUR JOBS! We, on the other hand, are just helping increase productivity in the industry! So you can all have jobs! (in the tar sands!)"

And that's just the TIP of the iceberg (not even GOING into the election fraud). I'm going to stop now before I launch into a 2 page essay. >_<

It's taken 2 years of secret bills, destroying Canadian values, and a concerted effort by the internet to get us to the point where Canada is FINALLY starting to take not of how bad this guy is.

anon does not need to be known for attacking countries like canada [considerably less cool than attacking the US cause hey, its the US they TOTALLY deserve it]).

Considering the RCMP has a track record for being...kinda shit, as a Canadian I have to say I have to problem with Anon stepping in if the RCMP refuse to do their modsbanned jobs.

 

[jthm]

Wow, didn't see that coming. No seriously, there is a reason that they say "Anonymous is not your personal army". Because they aren't. I'm just surprised to see that they are taking somebody up on their request for help, rather than finding dirt on their own volition.

13 posts in before I found the one I was thinking almost exactly word for word. Salient words being "Not Your Personal Army".

What has Anon turned into, hardboiled detectives who'll only take the case if it appeals to our sense of white knight? If you have the inclination, aptitude and ability to track down rapists and other ner' do wells, why not go do that professionally and not bring Anonymous into it at all?

 

[nathan-dts]

...

The justice system is evidently flawed given that they weren't charged. These people ruined someone's life to the point that they took their own life. Someone has to be going through huge amounts of mental anguish to do that; that warrants a punishment that the courts don't give out, anymore.

Everyone has this need for revenge, and if your loved one went through this and the culprits weren't punished, I imagine you'd want that same revenge.

Then its time for a reform of the justice system, not hire a group who borders on cyber terrorism to do it for you when they all and all can be argued as more evil because I'm sure every "justified" victim of Anon has had their life ruined.

and a friend did, it wasnt pretty after because she did get away with it because it was unthinkable that a woman would rape a man. Not one of us went after her with the intent of beating and abusing her, we just had to let it go.

maybe its just cause i dont like anon and think they do more harm than good (if they ever do any "real good") i just dont see the need for their involvement when they said they're not a personal army (despite it certainly looking that way) and after they decide to makea vague threat against a law/justice based organization. Nothing good is going to come from this other than four more kids will wind up either dead or severely beaten and four more families suffering because of the same mental anguish. Anon does not give slaps on the wrists, its always all in. and thats not how a society is supposed to work, especially one that is held to a somewhat morally high position like canada is.

These kids certainly need to be held accountable once its proven they're guilty, but anon is not the group that needs to be involved in doing so.

Never going to happen. Governments don't listen to their people, anymore.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, but I'd still be pissed and I'm surprised she doesn't have to deal with vandalism for the rest of her life as well as verbal hate.

There's a difference between a family losing their daughter to suicide and families grieving the loss of their rapist sons; one of them was an undeserved loss and the others are completely warranted. I don't think capital punishment is morally wrong.