#IAmSpartacus campaign explodes on Twitter in support of airport joker

[DVTimes]

http://www.clownx.com/?p=126235/

[DVTimes]

Twitter users angry at the conviction of a man who threatened to blow up an airport in a Twitter joke showed their support for him in their thousands today, and thumbed their nose at the law by republishing the words that landed him in trouble.

Paul Chambers, a 27-year-old accountant yesterday lost his appeal against his conviction and £1,000 fine for a comment he made in jest when he was concerned he might miss a flight to Belfast.

?Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You?ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I?m blowing the airport sky high!!? he wrote in January.

Chambers was controversially prosecuted under a law aimed at nuisance calls ? originally to protect ?female telephonists at the Post Office? in the 1930s ? rather than specific bomb hoax legislation, which requires stronger evidence of intent.

Civil liberties lawyers criticised his conviction as did the Twitter community, which reacted with a vengeance today to his failed appeal. Under the hashtag #IAmSpartacus ? a reference to the film in which Spartacus?s fellow gladiators show their solidarity with him by each proclaiming ?I am Spartacus? ? thousands of people have retweeted Chambers? original message. As a result of the show of support for Chambers the #IAmSpartacus was the second most popular worldwide subject being referred to on Twitter at the time of writing.

A number of people have also added a ?twibbon? mocking the judgment to their profile pictures with the words ?may be a joke? imposed over their profile pictures so that it appears alongside their tweets.

The judge who rejected Chambers? appeal yesterday is unlikely to see the funny side of it, having dismissed his lawyers? arguments that he should not be punished for a ?foolish prank?.

Judge Jacqueline Davies called the tweet ?menacing in its content and obviously so. It could not be more clear. Any ordinary person reading this would see it in that way and be alarmed?. She also ordered him to pay a further £2,000 legal bill for the latest proceedings.

Chambers lost his financial manager?s job after his arrest in January. He sent the message to a contact called @crazycolours, a woman from Northern Ireland who was among 650 people who regularly followed his 140-character tweets. He now lives with @crazycolours and they are considering a further appeal against the verdict.

http://twitterfall.com/?trend=IAmSpartacus!#1F3547