Madeleine McCann’s parents hit by ‘150 vile tweets a DAY from online trolls’

[faithlilly]

Sally Bercow learned a costly lesson when Lord McCalpine won his libel case against her.

If memory serves me well I believe the case was as a result of one tweet.  The tweet was not explicit and the implicit innuendo hard to grasp.  It was made in the midst of certain publicity doing the rounds concerning prominent personalities though.

If the McCanns wished to start a war of attrition against tweeters I am sure our libel laws would ensure they received the same consideration in law enjoyed by Lord McCalpine.

For comparison purposes just Google what Sally Bercow tweeted with the mean spirited trash tweeted, innuendo and downright lies.

If the McCanns chose to sue anyone for libel ~ which is their right ~ it would be a very strange thing to do to criticise them for it.
The criticism surely should be directed instead at those who feel free to libel them.

Didn't Lord McAlpine fund is own legal team ?

[Brietta]

Didn't Lord McAlpine fund is own legal team ?

Sally Bercow paid for it.

[slartibartfast]

Sally Bercow learned a costly lesson when Lord McCalpine won his libel case against her.

If memory serves me well I believe the case was as a result of one tweet.  The tweet was not explicit and the implicit innuendo hard to grasp.  It was made in the midst of certain publicity doing the rounds concerning prominent personalities though.

If the McCanns wished to start a war of attrition against tweeters I am sure our libel laws would ensure they received the same consideration in law enjoyed by Lord McCalpine.

For comparison purposes just Google what Sally Bercow tweeted with the mean spirited trash, innuendo and downright lies tweeted against the McCann family.

If the McCanns chose to sue anyone for libel ~ which is their right ~ it would be a very strange thing to do to criticise them for it.
The criticism surely should be directed instead at those who feel free to libel them.

I think the scale of the 2 cases is hardly comparable.

[faithlilly]

Sally Bercow paid for it.

Eventually but not initially.

The McCanns won't sue this, or any other individual.

[Alice Purjorick]

Sally Bercow learned a costly lesson when Lord McCalpine won his libel case against her.

If memory serves me well I believe the case was as a result of one tweet.  The tweet was not explicit and the implicit innuendo hard to grasp.  It was made in the midst of certain publicity doing the rounds concerning prominent personalities though.

If the McCanns wished to start a war of attrition against tweeters I am sure our libel laws would ensure they received the same consideration in law enjoyed by Lord McCalpine.

For comparison purposes just Google what Sally Bercow tweeted with the mean spirited trash, innuendo and downright lies tweeted against the McCann family.

If the McCanns chose to sue anyone for libel ~ which is their right ~ it would be a very strange thing to do to criticise them for it.
The criticism surely should be directed instead at those who feel free to libel them.

Defamation law has changed since then.

[ferryman]

Defamation law has changed since then.

Not in any way that would affect attempts to sell Amaral's book in England, or indeed (I'm fairly certain) the UK.

[Brietta]

I think the scale of the 2 cases is hardly comparable.

You are absolutely correct there.

One tweet hardly compares with the volume dispatched against the McCanns on a daily basis.

The innuendo implied in Bercow's tweet appears fairly innocuous if not unintelligible ... but it broke the law.  The daily diatribe and explicit accusation against the McCanns quite clearly breaks the law.

Were the McCanns to instruct their lawyers to institute proceedings against those who are abusing and defaming them either on a one off or on a daily basis I don't think there would be a problem in finding a few it would be worthwhile suing. 

[The Singularity]

Were the McCanns to instruct their lawyers to institute proceedings against those who are abusing and defaming them either on a one off or on a daily basis I don't think there would be a problem in finding a few it would be worthwhile suing.

I think I'm fairly confident in saying that CR and certainly Mr and Mrs McCann know who the main contributors are on twitter and on the few forums that remain that are hostile to them. I think if they were considering libel against these people then they would have done so by now. However I am certainly not suggesting that I believe they have ruled it out.

[Alice Purjorick]

Not in any way that would affect attempts to sell Amaral's book in England, or indeed (I'm fairly certain) the UK.

Has Sr Amaral been tweeting then?
Didn't Sally Bercow use Carter Ruck as her defence team?

I made a typo whilst "doing" Sr Amaral. Under the circumstances it was a pretty good one.
Sr Amatol.

[Robittybob1]

I think I'm fairly confident in saying that CR and certainly Mr and Mrs McCann know who the main contributors are on twitter and on the few forums that remain that are hostile to them. I think if they were considering libel against these people then they would have done so by now. However I am certainly not suggesting that I believe they have ruled it out.

From the point of view of the family and Kate's Christian views there is a lot of forgiveness going on.

[Brietta]

I think I'm fairly confident in saying that CR and certainly Mr and Mrs McCann know who the main contributors are on twitter and on the few forums that remain that are hostile to them. I think if they were considering libel against these people then they would have done so by now. However I am certainly not suggesting that I believe they have ruled it out.

I think the whole trolling issue is one which is desperately sad, unnecessary and tremendously hurtful.

While upsetting I think they have probably considered it as more than an irritant than actually interfering with their search for Madeleine.  Although the endless stream of organised petitions, FOIs and obstruction (eg campaign to flood Crime Watch TV programmes broadcast to help Madeleine) in my opinion could only have been designed to do so ... else what was their purpose?

What has been humanly possible to help Madeleine has been and continues to be done by the appropriate agencies now investigating her case, the Policia Judiciaria and Scotland Yard, enabling the McCanns and their Private Detectives to take a back seat.

Perhaps they have now decided that enough is enough.  Who would blame them?

[Robittybob1]

I think the whole trolling issue is one which is desperately sad, unnecessary and tremendously hurtful.

While upsetting I think they have probably considered it as more than an irritant than actually interfering with their search for Madeleine.  Although the endless stream of organised petitions, FOIs and obstruction (eg campaign to flood Crime Watch TV programmes broadcast to help Madeleine) in my opinion could only have been designed to do so ... else what was their purpose?

What has been humanly possible to help Madeleine has been and continues to be done by the appropriate agencies now investigating her case, the Policia Judiciaria and Scotland Yard, enabling the McCanns and their Private Detectives to take a back seat.

Perhaps they have now decided that enough is enough.  Who would blame them?

Especially if the twins are getting involved with tweeting back.  The whole thing is never going to stop then, unless the parents make a stand.  Maybe they will be forced to take action to save their kids.

[Brietta]

Especially if the twins are getting involved with tweeting back.  The whole thing is never going to stop then, unless the parents make a stand.  Maybe they will be forced to take action to save their kids.

I think the last thing the twins would ever do would be to respond to such venom.  Unfortunately their parents will undoubtedly have had to take steps to ensure the twins are equipped to cope with it in other ways.

I think it is one of the more shameful effects of this behaviour which has got so out of hand that it cannot fail to impinge on the lives of two innocent children

[Robittybob1]

I think the last thing the twins would ever do would be to respond to such venom.  Unfortunately their parents will undoubtedly have had to take steps to ensure the twins are equipped to cope with it in other ways.

I think it is one of the more shameful effects of this behaviour which has got so out of hand that it cannot fail to impinge on the lives of two innocent children

I thought they were contributing to the twitter feeds even now.  Maybe it is all a scam.  Twitter is all based on accounts and no one knows who is actually writing anything.

[barrier]

I think the whole trolling issue is one which is desperately sad, unnecessary and tremendously hurtful.

Its being blown out of all proportion,todays news tomorrows fish and chip paper.in the mean time Scotland Yard and the PJ remain resolutely silent.