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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that the UK police have no right to "check our thinking"?

233 replies

HawayMan · 27/01/2019 10:31

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6636383/Twitter-user-investigated-police-posting-poem-social-media-site.html

Yes, its a DM link; however, the Guardian and BBC don't seem to be covering this story yet...

From the article...

A Twitter user is planning to complain to the Home Secretary after police investigated him for retweeting a poem which suggested transgender women are still men.

Harry Miller is furious at his ‘Orwellian’ treatment by an officer who rang to check his ‘thinking’ after he had ‘liked’ a limerick

In better news, I'm planning on moving to Humberside. Clearly, there must be no actual crime there!

OP posts:
RepealTheGRA · 27/01/2019 14:16

YANBU

This is not 1984 the job of the police is not to check on people’s ‘thinking’.

PC Gul sounds highly gullible and I’m not sure he should be out on his own.

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 14:20

He wasn't questioning though. He just liked/retweeted a poem designed to deliberately cause offence.

It wasn't a crime though. So why is it the business of the police if somebody is offended?

InSightMars · 27/01/2019 14:25

Funkyfunkybeat12 ”Should this really be a crime?”

You have a point, no it really shouldn’t be a crime. In this instance though it’s not a matter of whether it should or shouldn’t be a crime, the point is that it isnt a crime, even admitted by the cop himself, so why the need to investigate, ‘check thinking’ or for the police to get involved at all? Why was the complainant not told “sorry, this happened and that you were upset by it but this isn’t a crime, nothing we can do.”?

User758172 · 27/01/2019 14:47

@feelingverylazytoday

That’s where we are though. It’s Orwellian, and very disturbing. What you say - your words, your phraseology - may not be offensive in the slightest, but if the other person feels that you are, that’s what matters.

sackrifice · 27/01/2019 14:51

It’s the usual shite from Mumsnet - bigotry is totally intolerable, until the subject is transwomen. Then it’s just facts and science

What science even exists that shows that humans can change their sex?

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 14:55

It wasn't a crime though. So why is it the business of the police if somebody is offended?

The police were obviously being proactive. Don't knock it.

People like this man laugh along with others who take the piss of others. This often leads to trouble. The police maybe tried to advise him that no good will come of getting your views across in this way (there are better ways) but he's not mature or sensible enough to see that. It may not be a crime, yet, but it's difficult to defend this immature person.

Original poster
HawayMan · 27/01/2019 14:58

twitter.com/Humberbeat/status/1088796896511037441

Oh dear. They are getting their arse handed to them on a plate in this Twitter thread...

OP posts:
ShowOfHands · 27/01/2019 14:59
feelingverylazytoday · 27/01/2019 15:17

HawayMan ok I 'loled'. Send me to hell Grin

Helmetbymidnight · 27/01/2019 15:25

That thread! GrinGrin

Sarahjconnor · 27/01/2019 15:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

InSightMars · 27/01/2019 15:35

Wondering if all the people who posted on that thread will be getting a call from the thought police or will they just go after the soft targets ie the people who merely liked the posts?

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 15:43

The police were obviously being proactive. Don't knock it.

If I say I don't believe in God and religious people are fools (not my actual belief) is it okay for the police to 'proactively' check my thinking? The belief in an innate gender and lady brains is no more provable than any other faith. Do you really want to live in a society where we are policed for opinions that aren't breaking the law in any way?

RepealTheGRA · 27/01/2019 16:08

Haha that thread is the British public at it’s best.

WellThisIsShit · 27/01/2019 16:17

This really is the critical question:

“Do you really want to live in a society where we are policed for opinions that aren't breaking the law in any way?”
Bluestitch

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 16:21

But maybe the law needs changing. Opinions are fine, it's how you express them, if you feel the need to, that I have an issue with. The person that wrote this poem knew what they were doing, the intention was to offend and liking or retweeting is just as bad.

BigChocFrenzy · 27/01/2019 16:25

It's not an opinion that a man can't change into a woman
It's fact

feelingverylazytoday · 27/01/2019 16:26

the intention was to offend
So what? Why should being offensive be considered a crime? Should we all sit around singing Kumbaya or something?

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 16:28

But maybe the law needs changing.

You think the law should be changed to make it illegal to write rude limericks mocking male privilege? Christ.

BigChocFrenzy · 27/01/2019 16:29

There may be huge offence caused by tweets e.g. for / against Brexit, Labour / Tory
but - so far - police don't go knocking on doors for liking views on these topics, only if threats of violence are involved - and sometimes not even then

Certainly no police have warned people who have liked facts about Brexit.

BigChocFrenzy · 27/01/2019 16:33

You want to outlaw mentioning biological facts ? 🤦🏻‍♀️

BigChocFrenzy · 27/01/2019 16:35

Totally weird that neither complainant nor Harry Miller live in Humberside

What next: Humberside police flight to Paris because a Tweet there offended someone in London ?

sackrifice · 27/01/2019 16:39

Opinions are fine, it's how you express them, if you feel the need to, that I have an issue with. The person that wrote this poem knew what they were doing, the intention was to offend and liking or retweeting is just as bad.

What?

Does this mean we need to close down all comedy clubs across the land in case someone is offended?

Is your name O. Cromwell?

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 16:44

I think the poem came from a place of hatred. I don't think there's any place for it.

I do wonder how many of you would be here if this was about another topic the police had got involved in and how many of you are interested because you have issues with transgender.

scaryteacher · 27/01/2019 16:44

catspaws The police maybe tried to advise him that no good will come of getting your views across in this way (there are better ways) but he's not mature or sensible enough to see that. It may not be a crime, yet, but it's difficult to defend this immature person.

The gentleman in question is 53, and runs a company, so thus is both mature and sensible. Furthermore, he was himself a Police Officer, so he can see this for the waste of time and resources it is. If someone from the police rang me up to 'check my thinking', I would very politely, tell them to foxtrot oscar and point out that I still had freedom of thought, even if freedom of speech was slowly being strangled by PC ness.