Anyone seen woman arrested for saying f****t in a private text message?

I would wait until I had concrete information before rushing to be outraged

Me, too.

Seems like she was just vindictive and looking for an opportunity to hurt her "friend."

It's a horrible story, not least because the police didn't just laugh the friend out of the station and took it seriously. No wonder the respect for the police is tanking.

Yes, they are socially unacceptable, sure, I have already said I accept that premise.

Socially unacceptable should not equal criminal, though. Do you want everyone who says a socially unacceptable word to be imprisoned? How big do you think our prisons are?

Yes, I agree, bullies should be expelled or suspended, depending on the severity.

However, I disagree with criminalising people for saying words that "cause harm." Define harm. Define distress. These are arbitrary, subjective terms that mean different things to different people and thus, should be impossible to police.

Expecting adults to be arrested for saying words you find offensive is ludicrous. If offence is the measure on which we decide criminality-then crimes are subjective, aren't they and speech is no longer free.

Im sure glad that the person who reported the text isnt a friend of mine !!

They aren’t just words I dislike, they’re socially unacceptable .

Yes it does , it causes harm. Not wanting your son to endure homophobic slurs at school is not coddling.

The perpetrators were expelled and rightly so.

As sad as that is, none of that justifies criminalising someone for speech.

Many of us have been bullied growing up. It sucks and it can stay with you a long time. However, I wouldn't want one of my bullies placed in jail just because they called me words I didn't like or that stuck with me.

Young teens can also end up with severe MH problems when they're coddled by their parents or because of other factors, too. Oftentimes, it's hard to pin MH problems down specifically to one cause.

It's not reasonable or sane to expect everyone who uses words you dislike to be arrested and criminally punished for it.

Or else, where does it end?

If I hear a word I dislike, am I allowed to label it hate speech and get the person arrested for it?

My son has melted, many young teens growing up with such slurs end up with severe MH problems.

Yes.

That's what living in a free society is.

Sometimes, it's hearing speech you dislike or even hate. No one has melted from hearing a word or words that they disliked.

"Hate speech" is arbitrary. Just because one person finds it hateful doesn't mean another will.

What if the person speaking didn't mean their speech in a hateful manner but was joking or it was taken the wrong way-should that speech be criminalised?

The f and n words are hate speech and very different to muppet

It's obviously terrible that your son was bullied and that he feels suicidal. I genuinely hope that he is receiving the help that he needs and makes a full recovery soon.

However, my position stands.

People shouldn't be arrested for saying words that caused someone else distress.

Distress is subjective. There was a case recently of a man being arrested by 4 officers for calling someone a "muppet" and "causing distress." Do you think that is reasonable?

What kind of society thrives when adults can't hear words they dislike without running to the police for intervention?

It's not one founded on resilience. 12,000 people have been arrested for social media posts in the UK. More than China and Russia.

This isn't reasonable or normal. Surely, our police, such as they are, have better things to be doing than policing hurty words?

Wow so saying we should just tolerate hate speech now.

Wow!

So it’s babyish to feel suicidal as a young gay teen due to being subjected to such appalling words that trash your very existence when you’re trying simply get on with your day.

My son is still needing therapy for such verbal bullying and the fall out from it years later.

But she’s probably a woman and there are plenty of misogynistic words that may cause her “distress” but she wouldn’t call the police about.

No, I'm also not a baby.

I know lots of gay people who would not want someone arrested for saying a word they dislike.

What protection are you suggesting we give to black and gay children and adults instead?

In schools.

You know-the place where children go.

Not adults. You know adults who should be able to handle matters themselves and regulate their own emotions. Unlike children, who cannot do that sufficiently.

Again, nation of babies who need their hands held when they hear a word they dislike. Are they nice words? No, but I'm not going to lose sleep over a man who attacked a woman being called the F word.

It's a bloody word.

I take it you’re not black or gay.

This is truly a bizarre take.

So, because a word may cause "distress" (an entirely subjective term) that person should be arrested for saying it.

So, any word that causes someone else distress should be permission for the police to come and beat the person's door down and arrest them, should it?

We've become a nation of absolute babies.

Is the word nice? No.

It's still just a word, and it was a word not directed at him, but sent in a conversation with a "friend."

12,000 people have been arrested this year alone for social media posts. We don't have free speech in this country anymore, but a lot of you won't care until it comes for you.

Our police shouldn't be wasting time and resources on policing hurty words. It reeks of kids tattling to the teacher because another kid said something they didn't like.

Bizarre

They absolutely should be criminalised or they will be used. There is zero tolerance in schools
as regards the use of either and taken seriously for good reason.

So what's a black persons recourse if their neighbour decides to send them a text every day calling them the N word out drop a note through their door doing the same but making it clear they would never physically harm them?

So you don't think there should be an offence of malicious communication. Anyone should be able to send a barrage of messages of any content to anyone else?