I applaud CCP for this decision, I will explain why before I am accused of being a political tool.
In the EU we have clear laws about behaviour on the internet and in public that differ dramatically from the US. in America your right to freedom of speech is guarenteed by the first ammendment. In Europe freedom of speech is limited by the law in ways your country does not it seems understand. Before you start to call us all fascists as has been said on some threads, think about the history of the last century in Europe and ask yourself why we have limited freedom of speech to protect against hate.
In recent months in the UK in paticular the profile of cyber offences, cyber bullying, trolling has been very much in the public eye. Cases of teenage suicides after a message on a social networking site like this example
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-14239702 made national headlines.
EU law protects people from offensive behaviour on the internet and does not allow the anononymity of the web protect offendors when the use the internet as a medium to bully or spread hate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-16144640 people have been given sentences lasting into years for offences carried out in the internet.
Perhaps the timing of this incident was most ill fated for Alexander, In the last month we have had a high profile case of a celebrity being targetted by a cyber bully and anti social behavior on the internet has been on the news and on prime time TV and questions have been asked in paliament.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17399027 . Even worse timing wise is the very high profile case of a student jailed for a drunken abusive rant on twitter about a seriously ill footballer that aroused comdemnation from all quarters. The student was jailed in the last week.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17434587I sympathise with americans who assume protection from the first ammendment gives you the right to say what you want be as offensive as you want on the internet press whatever. This is not the case in the rest of the world and certainly not in Europe and Alexander maybe forgot that in Iceland. Perhaps those members of the CSM who have objected to this decision need to consider this issue and see the wider impolications of this act and also the different international interpretatinos of both what is legal and what is decent and acceptable.
Again I would actually like to stress this is not a political post not a wum, This is actually somthing very good that CCP has done in sending out a clear message that certain behaviour will not be tolerated. It sucks for Alexander yes Im sure but he will bounce back from it if he wants to.