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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to want to know what the offensive tweet about Captain Tom Moore said?

91 replies

1000umbrellas · 09/02/2021 18:14

A man has been charged by the police after making an offensive tweet about Captain Tom Moore. Obviously a nasty and mean-spirited thing to do. But ever since I read the headline I can't stop wondering what it said to get the man charged. I avoid Twitter generally because impression is that it is mostly a cesspit of vile abuse, so what can this man have said that is worse? It can't have been a death threat; racist or homophobic abuse seems unlikely, and being really, really mean on the internet isn't illegal. This is not a sly invitation to pile on with insults to Captain Tom Moore btw! I am just genuinely perplexed.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-55986646

OP posts:

FrippEnos · 09/02/2021 19:11

It is to do with the malicious communication act and will probably have been reported as grossly offensive.

whoamongstus · 09/02/2021 19:12

I see far worse on Twitter every day, I'm very surprised it was prosecutable.

StoneofDestiny · 09/02/2021 19:27

Absolutely fuck all to do with Scottish politics and nationalism, and the tweet said British soldier and not English. This clown would have posted the same shit regardless of where in the UK Tom was born

Exactly. It's an isolated moron who has been caught and will be dealt with as the law sees fit. Nothing to do with Scottish Nationalism.

Notthemessiah · 09/02/2021 19:31

It was a deeply unpleasant thing to say, but to arrest someone and possibly jail them for it?

It seems the bar for something to be found 'deeply offensive' gets lower and lower every day - best just to shut up and say nothing controversial or against the grain just in case.

7Days · 09/02/2021 19:32

It shouldn't be a police matter.

saying horrible stuff is disgusting but it shouldn't be against the law, absent actual threats to go with it.
It's very worrying, imo but part of a larger trend

somethingonthecarpet · 09/02/2021 19:34

Looking forward to the day that revolting little oik needs the very British National Health Service that Sir Tom Moore raised so much money for. His first sentence is just sectarian bluster. The second sentence is offensive, upsetting and cruel and it is that which is the worst part actually.

Original poster

1000umbrellas · 09/02/2021 19:36

@whoamongstus

I see far worse on Twitter every day, I'm very surprised it was prosecutable.

Well this, and also I'm wondering how helpful it is to charge this guy. You can avoid Twitter hate pretty easily by not going on it, but now every friend and family member of Captain Tom's who watches the news or has a newsfeed on their phone will have seen that this guy has been spouting bile about him.

OP posts:

MissBaskinIfYoureNasty · 09/02/2021 19:39

Blimey. So you can get away with racism, homophobia and promotion of paedophilia on twitter but this bloke apparently crossed the line? Fascinating.

peak2021 · 09/02/2021 19:46

Let us wait until the court case. Others who have been vile not being charged is no defence.

Hettya · 09/02/2021 19:50

I'm not sure he should be prosecuted for this tbh, even if he is a vile unpleasant individual.

AStudyinPink · 09/02/2021 20:12

Replace "English soldier" with "Muslim" or "black person" and see how it feels then.

Of course it's hate speech!*

You have literally just quoted me saying I didn’t see that comment, I saw reporting on a different comment.

7Days · 09/02/2021 20:20

English/Muslim/woman/black or whatever, I dont think horrible speech should be a police matter

Notthemessiah · 09/02/2021 20:20

@MrsMercedes

I'm glad police were involved

hate speech should always be addressed.

Until someone decides that something you've said is 'hate speech'

AStudyinPink · 09/02/2021 20:22

But actually the legal definition of hate speech is a high bar. It isn’t illegal to hate someone. The comment I saw wasn’t hate speech (though it was hateful).

ParkheadParadise · 09/02/2021 20:26

I've seen far worse on Twitter and heard far worse in RL

Fatandfifty49 · 09/02/2021 20:29

I would have found it upsetting if it were my family member.

It was something like 'The only good British soldier is a deed one. Burn Auld fella, burn'

To me , it harped back to times when we were at war with Scotland in the 18th century and was definitely stirring up anti English hatred

AStudyinPink · 09/02/2021 20:31

The only good British soldier is a deed one. Burn Auld fella, burn'

Ah yes. I only saw the second bit. I agree the first part could be interpreted as breaking the law. We’ll have to see what happens.

DaisyHeadMaisy · 09/02/2021 20:32

It's a shit comment but it pisses me off when I see police being able to attend things like this yet two women a week are being murdered by thier partners. My friend couldn't get a single officer out when her (known to the police) ex partner was at her door. We've had a string of car thefts and tools taken from vans in our local area, yet the police have been totally useless. Why have they got time to police Twitter?

My husband is a British army veteran, I asked him what he thought and while he thinks the poster is a arse, his comments shouldn't warrant arrest.

oo0Tinkerbell0oo · 09/02/2021 20:44

It was nothing to do with being anti English. It was anti British from a supporter of a Scottish football team that has a section of supporters that hate anything British and do not respect the minutes silence for Armed Forces day, so the tweet was aimed at the fact he was an army veteran.

LadyMayoGoodway · 09/02/2021 20:48

@Poshjock is completely right - that’s exactly what I first thought when I heard it

@AStudyinPink you know absolutely nothing then do you. You may want to avail yourself of more info before you go making judgements

LadyMayoGoodway · 09/02/2021 20:52

@DaisyHeadMaisy there’ll be more to it than that, suspect it’ll be linked to sectarian gang violence and serious organised crime....sectarian violence which goes back generations. Whilst totally shit re tools getting stolen it’s not even in the same universe as all this. And it’s not the same police team who would deal with. It’s not just one Bobby who deals with everything any more. The domestic violence team won’t deal with tools being stolen and they won’t deal with sectarian violence.

RJnomore1 · 09/02/2021 20:57

I am absolutely utterly horrified at the Rangers fan up there trying to link this to football (other side of the Glasgow derby)

It may be sectarian but sectarianism has fuck all to do with genuine football fans and your linking it there merely shows your own prejudice.

Thislittlefinger123 · 09/02/2021 20:57

Totally unacceptable tweet obviously. But I agree with pp who queried the threats/comments made against women on twitter. Was anyone arrested for the vile abuse J K Rowling received? Thought not...

ParkheadParadise · 09/02/2021 20:59

@RJnomore1

I am absolutely utterly horrified at the Rangers fan up there trying to link this to football (other side of the Glasgow derby)

It may be sectarian but sectarianism has fuck all to do with genuine football fans and your linking it there merely shows your own prejudice.

Well said @RJnomore1

Saz12 · 09/02/2021 21:01

Sectarian stuff is generally taken more seriously than homophobia (for example).

But maybe that’s an argument for taking hate speech in general more seriously.

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