Facebook rioters

David Cameron has defended the court's decision to jail  two young men for posting on Facebook a page inciting disorder. 
There are two things which must surely cause consternation in the nation's collective conscience . Firstly the interference or perceived interference of the Government in the judiciary. Independence of this branch is needed to guarantee our liberties, and once the politicians start imposing guidelines and  give active encouragement or directives then we are on a slippery road.
Secondly  while the West was enthusiastic about supporting freedom of speech in the Middle East which incited the demonstrations that followed, here the Government was acting in the same manner as the dictatorships they claimed had to reform. No doubt these harsh sentences will be reversed once the "wild panic" in which these were imposed dissipates and rationality and consistency in the fundamental principles of the legal system are maintained.
There are many published authors whose work incite violence , here the postings did not lead to any violence but still the two young men were sentenced to four years. This short sighted reaction could ultimately lead to erosions of our civil liberties and undermine the independence of the criminal justice system.
It is time to take a look at the underlying symptoms that caused this temporary madness instead of knee jerk sentencing on failed recreational Facebook rioters.