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Boards.ie violating Defence Act (1954)

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  • 28-06-2012 12:13pm
    #1
    Border-Rat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 921 ✭✭✭


    Given the near-weekly use of the Military sub-forum to field queries and encourage recruitment for the British Army, it appears this website is knowingly violating the Defence Act (1954);
    312.—(1) It shall not be lawful for any person—

    (a) to induce, procure or persuade any person in the State to accept or agree to accept any commission or engagement in any military, naval or air force maintained by the Government of any other State, or

    (b) to print within the State or cause or procure to be printed within the State any notice or advertisement in relation to the procurement of personnel for any military, naval or air force maintained by the Government of any other State, or

    (c) to publish or cause or procure to be published within the State any such notice or advertisement as is mentioned in paragraph (b) of this subsection which is printed within the State.

    (2) Every person who acts in contravention of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

    This website is hosted within the state, Carlow, to be exact.
    Post edited by Shield on


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    #2
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users Posts: 12,438 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    If you read the charter of the military forum it prohibits recruitment or enlisting for foreign defence forces.
    Posters can discuss it but not encourage enlistment. So no laws are being broken.


    From the charter:
    “Foreign militaries”

    The target audience for this board is Irish people on the island of Ireland. It is inevitable that eventually users will seek information on joining their local military and for six of those counties, this means the British Army in particular, and they are as entitled to assistance as any other user. Occasionally also information is requested regarding the joining of other militaries such as those of the USA or France. However, as an entity in the Republic of Ireland, Boards.ie is subject to Irish (Republic) law on the matter, specifically the Defence Act 1954, S312. It lists two significant prohibitions:

    1) “to induce, procure or persuade any person in the State to accept or agree to accept any commission or engagement in any military, naval or air force maintained by the Government of any other State, or
    2) to print within the State or cause or procure to be printed within the State any notice or advertisement in relation to the procurement of personnel for any military, naval or air force maintained by the Government of any other State.”

    The ‘so what’ for posters is as follows:
    1) Do not attempt to persuade or recruit persons on this board to join a foreign military. This does not mean that one cannot engage in factual discussion or that people who are already interested in joining a foreign military cannot ask for neutral information to make their own decisions. The decision on whether one is attempting to persuade or recruit shall be taken on the face of the posting. Statements of personal experience shall be presumed not to anything other than an exchange of information unless the situation suggests otherwise.
    2) Do not link to websites whose primary purpose is to recruit personnel for foreign militaries.


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    #3
    My name is URL
    Registered Users Posts: 25,069 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    Ah here ffs.

    Are you really that concerned about a 60 year old law being broken (which it obviously isn't) or are you just annoyed about the fact that people are talking about joining the British army?


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    #4
    Border-Rat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 921 ✭✭✭Border-Rat


    Quite obvious that certain people have signed up to the site to make sole use of that particular sub-forum, people with quota's to fill. That's being facilitated by this site. Certain posters make use of their accounts almost exclusively to act as de-facto recruitment sergeants.


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    #5
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Since this is an obvious fact, as you state, then you will be able to link these notices or advertisements which you believe are in breach of the law?

    How many of these notices or advertisements have you reported to the moderators?


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    #6
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users Posts: 12,438 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    Border-Rat wrote: »
    Quite obvious that certain people have signed up to the site to make sole use of that particular sub-forum, people with quota's to fill. That's being facilitated by this site. Certain posters make use of their accounts almost exclusively to act as de-facto recruitment sergeants.

    Any proof of this?


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    #7
    Border-Rat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 921 ✭✭✭Border-Rat


    In the last month alone;


    Joining the TA

    British Army recruitment questions

    Royal Marines, army or Commando

    Anyone for Sandhurst?

    Paras or Royal Marines?

    This (The replies) is treading the fine line of procurement, or actively engaging in it.


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    #8
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    Is this because of the handshake?


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    #9
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,038 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    Whoa, whoa, whoa, stall the digger. That's a bloody serious allegation. OP, do you have *any* proof that this website is hosted in Carlow?


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    #10
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users Posts: 12,438 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    The replies in the threads are only giving information which is freely available online. As far as I can see, nobody is doing a recruitment drive in the military forum and nobody is persuading anyone to join any foreign military.
    There are no laws being broken in my opinion. I don't see what the problem is.


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    #11
    Border-Rat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 921 ✭✭✭Border-Rat


    Sparks wrote: »
    Whoa, whoa, whoa, stall the digger. That's a bloody serious allegation. OP, do you have *any* proof that this website is hosted in Carlow?

    BOARDS.IE SITE INFORMATION

    IP: 89.234.66.107
    IP Location: Carlow, Ireland
    Website Status: active
    Server Type: lighttpd/1.4.28


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    #12
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Border-Rat wrote: »
    In the last month alone;


    Joining the TA

    British Army recruitment questions

    Royal Marines, army or Commando

    Anyone for Sandhurst?

    Paras or Royal Marines?

    This (The replies) is treading the fine line of procurement, or actively engaging in it.
    None of these threads contain notices or advertisements in relation to the procurement of personnel for a foreign military.

    What else have you got?


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    #13
    Border-Rat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 921 ✭✭✭Border-Rat


    Dean09 wrote: »
    The replies in the threads are only giving information which is freely available online. As far as I can see, nobody is doing a recruitment drive in the military forum and nobody is persuading anyone to join any foreign military.
    There are no laws being broken in my opinion. I don't see what the problem is.

    That's very ambiguous. Your interpretation of these replies differs to mine.


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    #14
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users Posts: 12,438 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    Border-Rat wrote: »
    That's very ambiguous. Your interpretation of these replies differs to mine.

    Based on some of your previous posts on this site, it's clear that you just have a problem with people asking about the BRITISH army.


    Anyway, this is a non-issue. If any laws were being broken, (which they aren't), I'm sure the mods would step in and put a stop to it.


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    #15
    Border-Rat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 921 ✭✭✭Border-Rat


    Dean09 wrote: »
    Based on some of your previous posts on this site, it's clear that you just have a problem with people asking about the BRITISH army.

    And?

    Anyway, this is a non-issue. If any laws were being broken, (which they aren't), I'm sure the mods would step in and put a stop to it.

    "to induce, procure or persuade any person in the State to accept or agree to accept any commission or engagement in any military, naval or air force maintained by the Government of any other State"

    Looks like a fine line to me. At the very least there seems to be regular assuaging going on.


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    #16
    El Guapo!
    Registered Users Posts: 12,438 ✭✭✭✭El Guapo!


    Border-Rat wrote: »
    And?
    And....you're persuing your own agenda here and you're only bringing up this issue because or your republican views imo.



    Border-Rat wrote: »
    "to induce, procure or persuade any person in the State to accept or agree to accept any commission or engagement in any military, naval or air force maintained by the Government of any other State"

    Looks like a fine line to me. At the very least there seems to be regular assuaging going on.
    A fine line maybe, but as I said it's obviously not an issue as the mods haven't stepped in. I'm sure they'll step in and do something if any action is warranted......which it isn't.
    You're making something out of nothing here.


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    #17
    Gordon
    Registered Users Posts: 35,524 ✭✭✭✭Gordon


    This makes me very angry and a little shaken, I had no idea we were hosted in Carlow.

    As seamus (WWSD) says, none of those threads are procurement ads. They are discussion threads, this is a discussion forum, not an advertising/army recruitment website.


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    #18
    Dav
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,840 ✭✭✭Dav


    Calm down everyone - we're hosted in Digiweb which is in Blanchardstown, not Carlow...

    Also, as pointed out, no one is violating the Defence Act (1954).

    </thread> before this gets any sillier.


This discussion has been closed.
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