Frederick Brennan , the father of the fringe 8chan discussion board that disbanded after users on its far - right /pol/ subforum were linked to multiple mass shootings , could face arrest in the Philippines thanks to criminal libel charges wreak by the site ’s current owner , Jim Watkins .
Filipino news show sourceRapplerreported on Thursday that Watkins — who remained for the most part obstinate in the face of acongressional investigationinto 8chan ’s liaison to extremist violence , may be facing achild pornography inquiryin the Philippines , and hasrelaunched the sitesans /pol/ as 8kun — has action Brennan for cyberlibel after the latter cite to Watkins as “ senile ” and “ unskilled . ” Cyberlibel is a criminal offense in the Philippines , and those found creditworthy can present prison time .
agree to Rappler , the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 158 ’s presiding justice Romeo Dizon Tagra has ruled that Brennan is guilty of the charge and issued a warrant for his arrest . Brennan is in the U.S. but lives in the Philippines and now could face six to 12 age in prison house if he returns . Prosecutors argued that Brennan showed actual spite ( which as in the U.S. , is acomplicated effectual definitionrequiring authorities to evidence a false argument was made with the sole intent of harm another ) and that he could not prove Watkins is actually senile .
Frederick Brennan.Photo: Ted Aljibe/AFP (Getty Images)
Incarceration facility in the Philippines are notoriously dreaded , with rearing overcrowding and gangs that greatly outnumber guards are powerful enough to maintain de facto control over elements of prison house process . Leah Armamento , a phallus of the Philippine government ’s Commission on Human Rights , told the New York Times , “ When you are detain in Filipino jails , you are being tortured . ” It thus seems improbable Brennan will return to the commonwealth anytime soon .
Brennan started the site in the U.S. in 2013 as a harbor for any and all free actor’s line that did not break federal law . It apace , and predictably , turned into a hub for some of the net ’s worst element , including enthusiasts of the misogynistGamergate movement , pedophiles , Qanon conspiracy theorists , and neo - Nazis , snowy supremacists , and various other far - right racists that congregated on its /pol/ subforum . The site continued to mesh until a wave of mass shootingswere tied to the site , with culprit of massacres at a mosque inChristchurch , New Zealand ; a tabernacle in Poway , California ; and aWalmart in El Paso , Texasall having reportedlyposted manifestosto /pol/ before the attacks . 8chan was more or less following off the entanglement by virtuallyall of the vendorsthat enabled it to stay online in the face of continual cyberattacks .
Brennan has prove to distance himself from the internet site , which Watkinsreceived control overin 2015 , and claimed that he no longer believes it should subsist . In August 2019 , he told theNew York Timesthat 8chan is “ a complete negative to everybody except the user that are there . And you know what ? It ’s a electronegative to them , too . They just do n’t realize it . ”
Jim Watkins, seen here in a bizarre 2019 video in which he insisted that 8chan was just a “peacefully assembled group of people talking” as the military song “Taps” played in the background.
“ I ’ve tried to realise so many times why [ Watkins ] hold on it get , and I just do n’t get it , ” Brennan added . “ After Christchurch , after the Tree of Life shooting , and now after this shot , they guess this is all really funny . ”
I ’ve had a theory for a while that Jim Watkins does n’t talk to the media as he ’s going senile and ca n’t control his emotions while on the headphone .
He ca n’t just say , " I refuse to answer " or " I have no comment at this time but may e - mail you later " .
Further validation of his senility.pic.twitter.com/plcqz84kV8
— Fredrick Brennan ( @[email protected ] ) 🦝 🔣 📗 ( @fr_brennan)September 12 , 2019
Watkins wrote in his criminal ailment that “ The exercise of the right of free expression and free speech like any other rightfield enshrined in our Constitution follow with an equal burden of responsible exercise of that right . After all , the recognition of a right hand is not a complimentary license for the one arrogate it to guide roughshod over the right wing of others . ” Brennan has appealed the verdict , harmonise to CNN Philippines , state he was “ only exercising his civil responsibility to inform the world about the masses operating a website that host hate manner of speaking and white-hot nationalistic gospel because it has already claimed the lives of many innocent the great unwashed . ”
Last year , Brennan described the chargesto CNN Philippinesas a naked endeavour to restrain him . Brennan lives with a condition known asbrittle bone diseaseand practice a wheelchair . He told the tidings connection that he believe Watkins was “ trying to intimidate me by making me finger that I can go to prison house … I have a serious disability and there ’s no doubt at all that I would certainly perish in prison here . There ’s no fashion I can outlast in a local prison , that ’s not even potential . ”
8chanCrimeneo - nazisPhilippinesTechnology
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