You Tube under fire now for Moat tribute
You Tube is being criticized by some social groups in the UK for not removing a tribute video to Raoul Moat, the man who shot several people in the UK and became the subject of a massive manhunt.
In the wake of Raoul Moat’s death, tribute pages were created on Facebook where users posted comments on the gunman in messages ranging from simple acknowledgments of his humanity to those that praised him for what he did.
Facebook came under fire for not removing the posts, insisting that freedom of expression and healthy debate were the hallmarks of the social networking site.
Now You Tube, an equally popular Web site that allows users to upload videos and “broadcast” themselves, has come under fire for a tribute video to the now-notorious gunman.
Moat became the most wanted man in the UK for several days after he shot dead his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in July and then went after the police, seriously wounding an officer and causing mass disruption and anxiety in Northumberland, a quiet part of a country where gun crime is minimal.
The manhunt for Moat became one of the biggest in British history and, following the release of a letter Moat had posted to the police, he became, for some, an icon of injustice in a cruel world.
Moat was arrested for assault several months before the July shootings. He claimed that while he was in prison his girlfriend left him and he lost his job and his house.
He said that it was because of this that he was “declaring war” on the UK police force and vowed to shoot as many of them as he could before they got him, claiming he would only stop once he was dead.
The ‘This is for Moat’ video on You Tube, which is a rap song by Triple-R, a UK-based group, has garnered controversy for appearing to praise the actions of Moat.
The audio opens with a recording of the police announcing his death, followed by a volley of gunfire and a rapper shouting ‘f**k the police’ and calling Moat ‘every coppers nightmare’.
The group has claimed the song does not praise Moat’s actions, but rather seeks to portray what was going through his head. For instance, “Walk in my shoes then you'll know how about life, the pain it brings when the police twist the knife,” are the lyrics in part of the song.
A spokesperson for Triple-R said, “the guy asked for help and the system let him down.”
But Lucy Cope, a member of Mothers Against Guns UK, has called on You Tube to remove the video.
“My sympathies are not with Raoul Moat and his family, they are for the family of the innocent man who died and for the police officer and his family,” she said, adding that, “YouTube should do the right thing and pull this video immediately.”
Dorset Police Federation chairman was in agreement.
“Anything that glorifies a man who beat women and children, shot a woman, murdered an innocent man and blinded a policeman is incredibly sick.”
You Tube removes videos and audio that infringe copyright and public decency, for example explicit pornography is quickly removed from the site and users have the option of reporting any video they feel is offensive.
Source:Europe News.Net
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