Ross defends the flag burner's right express moral indignation at the foreign policy of the United States and others. " But I would like her to know that a country's morality is born from the collective morality of individual citizens. The mirror she refers to should first see her image and only then will she have the moral integrity, and credibility, to publicly pass judgment on others.

Steven Price reflects on these issues. "Of course, that doesn't mean that every protester has magic access to the truth. Some are crackpots. The point is that it is vital for society to be constantly challenged by people who strongly believe that things should be done differently," he says.
Read his piece in Media Law Journal

Source

• Dom Post Anthony Ross - Letters to the Editor
• Dom Post Valerie Morse - Letters to the Editor
• Image: Media Law Journal

"The Supreme Court ruling in favour of flag-burner Valerie Morse "is a splendid thing that will disgust some people. But real freedom must include the freedom to infuriate." said Hubbard

Valerie Morse an activist who burned the New Zealand flag at an ANZACDay dawn service has had her conviction quashed by the Supreme Court. She was convicted, in Wellington District Court, of disorderly behaviour after her protest near the Cenotaph in Wellington in 2007. The conviction was upheld by the High Court and the Court of Appeal, but Ms Morse challenged that ruling all the way to the country's highest court and yesterday the Supreme Court quashed the conviction.

Its judgment found that the district court judge had misunderstood the meaning of offensive behaviour. While the five Supreme Court judges differed in their definitions of "offensive behaviour", most believed it had to be capable of "wounding feelings or arousing real anger, resentment disgust or outrage".

Steven Price, one of Morse's lawyers, says the judges found that protesters "can't be arrested and convicted for offensive behaviour unless the police can show there is a disturbance of public order".

Source

Anthony Hubbard Sunday Star Times

Image:newzeelend.wordpress.com