While I think it's quite likely that this user was recruited by Shamir, and also that he has edited before, I don't think one can say for sure whether he is a sock puppet -- you're better off having a developer check that.
But as for blocking because he came to Wikipedia with an aim in mind... if we blocked every user who arrived at Wikipedia because of a bone to pick or a view to push, we'd be down the vast majority of our contributors. The only applicable policy is WP:NPOV, and you don't get blocked for a first offence under that. I wouldn't ever unblock without knowing the whole story, but I don't think I agree with this block's reasoning.
Sam
On 12/16/05, JAY JG jayjg@hotmail.com wrote:
-- Asbestos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Asbestos
From: "l'Omnivore Sobriquet" omnivore.sobriquet@wanadoo.fr My complaint about being blocked.
Friday, 16 December 05
Messieurs,I would like to register here my full disagreement about being blocked
from
Wikipedia. This is unfair, and as I appreciate it, unjustified.
My IP address is 83.205.136.21.
My user name is "L'Omnivore Sobriquet", and on Wednesday 14th of Dec I
got
blocked at 22:03 (Wiki time), with the message :
"Your user name or IP address has been blocked by Jayjg. The reason given is: revert sockpuppet"
Moderator Jayjg replied to my call for justifications with the single
line
:
"You appear to be a userid created solely for the purpose of reverting articles; that is what your edits consist of.
Jay. "
The userid made exactly two edits, both of them reverts of the same page, Israel Shamir. It made no contributions elsewhere, even to the Talk: page of the article in question, and certainly appeared to be a revert sockpuppet. Moreover, the subject of this article (Israel Shamir) has been consistently vandalizing it, in ways with which we have become all too familiar. He also appealed for friends of his to come and revert the article for him on a Yahoo group called Shamir readers:
From: Israel Shamir <ishamir@...> Date: Sat Nov 26, 2005 12:12 pm Subject: Wiki ish314
Dear friend, if you have time, you may help to fight a small internet war over Wikipedia, a popular website with many links. Obviously it is as dominated by philosemites as any other media, and they consistently demonise me in the entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Shamir When I, or some friends correct their most blatant lies, they change it back in no time at all. Afterwards, they refer to their own lies as if it is an objective source. Everybody can add, remove and edit any entry in the Wiki. I call those who has available time to make an effort and to re-conquer the site from philosemites. Shamir
Even if this editor is not a sockpuppet, I'm quite skeptical that this userid was created with Wikipedia's goals and policies in mind.
Jay.
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