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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:
CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 16:53

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 everyone who is over 50 is mature and sensible? Everyone who runs a business is mature and sensible? Every police officer is?

People from any demographic can make bad decisions. I don't think this poem, or retweeting it is the best ways to get your views out there. He just looks like a pratt.

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 16:57

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

You can't class hatred as comedy. Look at Frankie Boyles joke about a disabled child. He said it was comedy, some thought it was. I don't think so. There's no place for it so some 'comedy' should be stopped, yes.

Siameasy · 27/01/2019 16:57

Someone is using the police as their own private security. Which is a bit corrupt. If no crime was committed the police should have the backbone to say to the complainant-sorry, not a police matter.
And the police have a duty to protect free speech does this officer not realise?
The Twitter user was under no obligation to speak to the police. I’d love to see them “escalate” it.
Cats you might not like what was said and it’s not something I would say myself on social media. Altho it is true. However it’s not a crime and the police are not the moral police. Things considered immoral or unpleasant are properly dealt with by peer pressure or social disapproval.

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 17:00

It's not a crime but I think it's classed as a hate incident and the police can investigate.

Dragon3 · 27/01/2019 17:00

He might or might not be mature, sensible or a pratt. We may or may not agree with him. It's irrelevant. He did not commit a crime. As the police well knew. They had no business approaching him like this.

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 17:04

There you go, from OPs daily mail article

A Humberside police spokesman said all reports of hate incidents are taken seriously and the force would always ‘take appropriate action’.

sackrifice · 27/01/2019 17:06

You can't class hatred as comedy

You can't class a knowledge of biology as hatred.

Elfinablender · 27/01/2019 17:06

It's not a crime but I think it's classed as a hate incident and the police can investigate.

Are there many other things can the police investigate that's not an actual crime?

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 17:07

He just looks like a pratt.

Again, not a crime. There are lots of prats out there.

RepealTheGRA · 27/01/2019 17:09

I’m pleased that humberside have such an abundance of resources. I assume they have a 100% clear up rates for rape, murder, burglary etc if they have time to devote to poems? Because I find all those crimes pretty hateful.

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 17:09

Are there many other things can the police investigate that's not an actual crime?

Whatever comes under 'hate incident' I suppose. There may well be other categories of things as well I suppose,no idea, I'm just quoting from the article OP posted.

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 17:12

Because I find all those crimes pretty hateful.

Most people do. But it looks like they were completely within their right as to 'investigate' this as a hate incident.

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 17:13

Having looked at social media, local people are very angry as Humberside has had a large increase in violent crime. The police shouldn't be just deciding to grill people about things that have no basis in legislation, it is massively over reaching. I don't care what their Stonewall training session advised, telling someone to check their thinking because boys are given girls brains in the womb is beyond ridiculous. My 10 year old knows that it nonsense.

sackrifice · 27/01/2019 17:15

Most people do. But it looks like they were completely within their right as to 'investigate' this as a hate incident.

No they are not.

Neither the person reporting this nor the person who tweeted it even lives or works in Humberside.

This is a total manipulation of the police...there is no such thing as a woman's brain in a man's body.

There was no crime, and nobody has the right not to be offended.

papayasareyum · 27/01/2019 17:15

it's bizarre to call this a hate crime. But then, transactivists have called lesbians transphobic and hateful for not wanting to have sex with transwomen who have penises. It's a funny old world (Orwellian, indeed)

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 17:20

They haven't called it a hate crime, they've called it a hate incident. Evidence has to be found during the investigation to call it a hate crime.

No they are not. Neither the person reporting this nor the person who tweeted it even lives

Would you be ok with it being investigated if it was the correct police force?

Having looked at social media, local people are very angry as Humberside has had a large increase in violent crime

Many places have but this doesn't mean that the police ignore every other crime or incident though.

RCohle · 27/01/2019 17:32

Humberside have seen an increase of 24% in violence against the person offences v a 19% rise nationally. www.humberside-pcc.gov.uk/Your-Police/Crime-Levels/Humberside-Police-Total-Crime.aspx

Maybe they should focus their attention on actual crimes?

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 17:33

Evidence has to be found during the investigation to call it a hate crime.

The PC already knew it wasn't a crime when he contacted Harry. So what was the purpose of the contact?

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 27/01/2019 17:40

The PC already knew it wasn't a crime when he contacted Harry. So what was the purpose of the contact

I think they record hate incidents, even when no crime has been committed. My guess is that they try to stop it escalating and also so that its on record if it does escalate.

Maybe they should focus their attention on actual crimes?

Maybe. I suppose their thinking is that they may be able to stop incidents becoming a crime. Unfortunately we don't seem get a say in what the police investigate.

Elfinablender · 27/01/2019 17:43

A hate incident sound decidedly slippy.

If I ever get told off by a police officer, I would like it to be for an actual crime and not a non-crime that sounds like a criminal incident.

RepealTheGRA · 27/01/2019 17:47

Given the police have finite resources CatsPawsAndWhiskers would you like them to spend them on investigating actual violent crime or somebody being offended on twitter!

Bluestitch · 27/01/2019 17:49

I think they record hate incidents

If there is no crime then the definition of a hate incident is highly subjective. I find it hateful that men with penises say they are women (sex is a protected characteristic after all). Should the police be contacting people on twitter who offend me in this way?

Would you support a police officer telling someone to 'check their thinking' if they said a religion was a load of nonsense and there is no God, if a Christian complained?

Aquilla · 27/01/2019 17:51

The thing is, you lot weren't concerned when hate crime legislation originally came in. Ooooh, brilliant, you chirped! The rest of us were thinking, er, this is a bloody dangerous slippery slope, actually.
So now you're fucked, really. Fast-forward into your children's futures. What will then be a 'hate crime'? Who will be in charge?
No foresight, whatsoever.

Elfinablender · 27/01/2019 17:54

The thing is, you lot weren't concerned when hate crime legislation originally came in. Ooooh, brilliant, you chirped! The rest of us were thinking, er, this is a bloody dangerous slippery slope, actually.

You lot? Do you want to put that pointy finger away and be a bit more specific about who your contempt is levelled at?

FactsAreNotMean · 27/01/2019 18:09

I don't even want to attempt to quantify the number of anti-Scottish posts I saw around the time of the referendum. Many infinitely less pleasant than that poem. Didn't see the police chasing up tweeters though.

A few PP have said that posters are only opposed to the police action here because it's a trans issue, and that might in a way be true for some - because for some people this will be the first time they've found themselves disagreeing with the current right on narrative and so it might be that this is the first time they've been aware of this sort of thing, of the no platforming and suppression of free speech that's been growing for a while.

I'd say the posters who are ok with the idea of the police "checking their thinking" just haven't yet found themselves on the 'wrong' side. One day they probably will and only then will they realise just how oppressive the atmosphere has become.