London ( CNN ) -- Celebrity comedians were among hundreds who on Friday welcomed a UK court ruling that cleared a man of sending a tweet joking about blowing up an airport . The case has highlighted the arguments for and against the limits of free speech on the internet . Paul Chambers was originally fined Â£385 ( $ 603 ) and ordered to pay thousands in court costs after being found guilty in 2010 of sending a `` menacing tweet '' that read : `` Crap ! Robin Hood Airport is closed . You 've got a week and a bit to get your s -- - together , otherwise I 'm blowing the airport sky high . '' He claimed it was a joke and sent it during a moment of frustration while the airport in the north of England was closed by snow . The original trial heard that the tweet was discovered when an airport manager , who was not a Twitter member , searched for `` Robin Hood Airport '' on the social networking site . Thousands of people joined an online campaign to support Chambers , retweeting his message , and recently posting Twitter comments under the hashtag # twitterjoketrial . The high-profile British actor , broadcaster and prolific tweeter , Stephen Fry , said Friday : `` Complete vindication and victory for Paul Chambers in # twitterjoketrial . Well done @ DavidAllenGreen and team . '' In its ruling , the court said : `` The appeal against conviction will be allowed on the basis that this 'tweet ' did not constitute or include a message of a menacing character . `` It was treated and addressed as if it was not a credible threat . The airport police took no action . '' The verdict prompted a grateful response from Chambers who said to his Twitter followers : `` We could n't have done this without you , we would n't have got close . '' British comedian Frankie Boyle tweeted : `` # twitterjoketrial means comedians will feel more secure tweeting jokes and people making threats will try work in some humour . It 's Win-Win . '' Another British actor and comic , Ricky Gervais , who has notched up major TV successes on both sides of the Atlantic , was more provocative in his reaction , tweeting : `` Original Judge in The Paul Chambers twitter joke trial admits he was only joking when he convicted Paul . '' Ben Goldacre , a prominent author and scientist , added : `` He may have got off , but after years of angst and expense # twitterjoketrial is a disappointing stain on the credibility of the UK judiciary . '' Defense solicitor in the case , David Allen Greene , was equally scathing in his reaction , tweeting : `` This shameful prosecution should never have been brought . The DPP [ Director of Public Prosecutions ] made the personal decision to oppose the appeal . Disgraceful . '' The hashtags # Paul Chambers and # twitterjoketrial were both trending in the UK Friday , but if anyone was opposed to the verdict they were not immediately visible on the social networking site . In contrast , hundreds of tweets supported the court decision , with one poster calling himself The Sev , summing up the sentiments of many of them : `` Today the courts ruled you 're allowed to make jokes on Twitter . ''
Paul Chambers was originally fined Â£385 ( $ 603 ) for sending a `` menacing tweet '' The case has highlighted the arguments about the limits of free speech on the internet . The UK court ruled that the tweet was treated and addressed as if it was not a credible threat . High profile comics sent messages supporting the Chambers ' appeal .