[governance] Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US

Wed Feb 1 04:52:25 EST 2012

Hi Wolfgang

Just for thought.

A few years ago, a Brazilian teeanager was arrested leaving the US for
telling customs officials that he was carrying a bomb when asked what a
volume of luggage was. He was immediately arrested as the officials thought
he was joking and did not see any humour in it.

It turned out that he was acually speaking the **truth**, abeit in
defective English. In Portuguese, "bomba" is both a "bomb" and a "pump",
and the teeanager used the word "bomb" to mean "pump" to refer to the
diving air compressor.

It took a lot of high-level diplomacy for the US to accept the linguistic
faux pas as a reasonable explanation.

Regards

Rui

2012/1/31 "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" <
wolfgang.kleinwaechter at medienkomm.uni-halle.de>

> Hi
>
> is "joking" protected by the first amendement of the US constitution and
> part of Article 19 (right to freedom of exression) of the UN Human Rights
> Declaration?
>
> wolfgang
>
> ________________________________
>
> Von: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org im Auftrag von Riaz K Tayob
> Gesendet: Di 31.01.2012 16:23
> An: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
> Betreff: [governance] Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US
>
>
> 31 January 2012 Last updated at 12:51 GMT
>
>
> Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US
>
>  Post-9/11 USA is highly cautious of any perceived threat, Abta said
>
>
> Holidaymakers have been warned to watch their words after two friends were
> refused entry to the US on security grounds after a tweet.
>
> Before his trip, Leigh Van Bryan wrote that he was going to "destroy
> America".
>
> He insisted he was referring to simply having a good time - but was sent
> home.
>
> Trade association Abta told the BBC that the case highlighted that
> holidaymakers should never do anything to raise "concern or suspicion in
> any way".
>
> The US Department for Homeland Security picked up Mr Bryan's messages
> ahead of his holiday in Los Angeles.
>
> The 26-year-old bar manager wrote a message to a friend on the
> micro-blogging service, saying: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep
> before I go and destroy America."
>
> The Irish national told the Sun newspaper <
> http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4095372/Twitter-news-US-bars-friends-over-Twitter-joke.html>
>  that he and his friend Emily Bunting were apprehended on arrival at Los
> Angeles International Airport before being sent home.
>
> "The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of
> terrorist," Mr Bryan said.
>
> "I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet."
>
> No joke
>
> Abta, which represents travel companies in the UK, said holidaymakers need
> to learn to be ultra-cautious when it comes to talking about forthcoming
> trips, particularly after 9/11.
>
> Continue reading the main story <
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16810312#story_continues_2>
>
> "Start Quote
>
>
>        Airport security staff do not have a sense of humour when it comes
> to potential risk"
>
> Abta
>
> "Posting statements in a public forum which could be construed as
> threatening - in this case saying they are going to "destroy" somewhere -
> will not be viewed sympathetically by US authorities," it told the BBC.
>
> "In the past we have seen holidaymakers stopped at airport security for
> 'joking' that they have a bomb in their bag, thoroughly questioned and
> ending up missing their flights, demonstrating that airport security staff
> do not have a sense of humour when it comes to potential risk."
>
> In another tweet, Mr Bryan made reference to comedy show Family Guy saying
> that he would be in LA in three weeks, annoying people "and diggin' Marilyn
> Monroe up".
>
> Mr Bryan told the newspaper that he was questioned for five hours about
> his Twitter messages.
>
> 'Tweeter account'
>
> After the interview, Homeland Security's reported: "Mr Bryan confirmed
> that he had posted on his Tweeter website account that he was coming to the
> United States to dig up the grave of Marilyn Monroe.
>
> "Also on his tweeter account Mr Bryan posted he was coming to destroy
> America."
>
>  Paul Chambers was fined after posting a message about Robin Hood Airport
>
> The US Customs and Border Protection agency said in a statement that it
> tried to maintain a balance between "securing our borders while
> facilitating the high volume of legitimate trade and travel that crosses
> our borders every day".
>
> It added: "We strive to achieve that balance and show the world that the
> United States is a welcoming nation."
>
> Mr Bryan is not the only person to suffer from a misjudged tweet. In
> January 2010, Paul Chambers tweeted that he would blow snow-affected Robin
> Hood Airport in Doncaster "sky high!" if it was not reopened in time for
> him to see his girlfriend.
>
> He was fined £385 plus £2,600 in costs - a sum which actor Stephen Fry
> offered to pay on Mr Chambers' behalf.
>
>
>
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-- 
_________________________
Mobile Number in Namibia +264 81 445 1308
Número de Telemóvel na Namíbia +264 81 445 1308

I am away from Johannesburg - you cannot contact me on my South African
numbers
Estou fora de Joanesburgo - não poderá entrar em contacto comigo através
dos meus números sul-africanos

Rui Correia
Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
Angola Liaison Consultant

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