Neighbour sending me unacceptable videos on WhatsApp

[AlliBallyBoo]

Neighbour, generally nice older woman, perfectly civil but since the winter fuel allowance thing has taken to spouting all sorts of bigotry on Facebook r.e. immigration and immigrants etc.

All the usual stuff you can think of r.e. over here robbing pensioners, stealing jobs, grooming girls, sharia law coming to a town near you, not real refugees. Not just reposted, reposted with her own commentary peppered with the kinds of slurs you'd expect in a 70s sitcom etc. unfriend her because I just don't want to see it.

She's now taken to WhatsApp-ing me links to far right websites and tweets and sending short videos demonising immigrants and refugees etc.

I've messaged back saying I don't want to receive these types of messages and now blocked her.

Not sure what to do. Not sure if I should report her to the police, if she's sending it to me she's definitely sending it to others and whilst I'm not keen on telling tales on people this feels like it goes on unchallenged too often and is part of the reason that xenophobic rhetoric has become so commonplace.

Any thoughts?

I really understand how you feel. It's shocking that people are so open with their bigotry.

I would block her on everything and completely ignore her.

Don't think there's much more you can do, but don't speak to her and if others ask then tell them why

You can report anonymously to Crimestoppers, if you don’t want to use the PoliceUK HateCrime reporting format. Because hate crime is illegal.

Yanbu to block her, yabu to report to the police

Please describe the hate crime

Report her to the police, really? 🙄 She's entitled to her opinion.

And what crime has she committed?

If demonising immigrants and refugees goes beyond the legally acceptable definitions, then it’s hate crime. Please look at the definitions to inform yourselves. Or are you perpetrators? Pretty quick at jumping down my throat there.

@GabriellaMontez @maddening @Whotenanny

The neighbour is committing a criminal offence by sending unsolicited racist messages.

https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/hate-crime/information/v1/hate-crime/what-is-hate-crime/

A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation and disability.

Hate content may include:

• messages calling for violence against a specific person or group
• web pages that show pictures, videos or descriptions of violence against anyone due to their perceived differences
• chat forums where people ask other people to commit hate crimes against a specific person or group

Thw op hasn't described a hate crime by that definition clock.

A hate crime requires a criminal offence.

What offence is it you feel has been committed?

You were pretty quick to suggest ringing the police.

Certainly not a "perpetrator" actually. My family were immigrants on my Dad's side, I am proud of my foreign surname, I grew up appreciating both my parents' cultural heritage.

But I support free speech- I don't agree with some of the incoming hate crime definitions that are a threat to that - it is creeping in to tbe territory of thought crime.

I have had a similar thing since the winter fuel allowance change from an older friend who has never previously been political or ever has any knowledge or interest in current affairs.
I think she must have liked something lower level on fb and then the algorithm started sending her nastier racist stuff and completely inaccurate “facts” about all immigrants getting brand new iphones etc.
I unfollowed her after her constant reposts of misinformation as it was infuriating me. Useless reporting such nonsense to fb as the bots can’t understand anything less than certain keywords.
Then when we next met up I brought the conversation round to immigration and dropped in a few truthful bits of information and stats as best I could without seeming critical or political as such.
She has stopped reposting horrible links and memes. Not sure if what I said changed her mind or for some other reason.
She is actually a nice person who was misinformed and in her angry state at having lost her WFA was receptive to racist propaganda. In real life she is not like that at all.

Block her.

@GabriellaMontez @maddening

The OP used the words “slurs”.

From Cambridge Dictionary:

”an offensive word used to insultsomeone because of their race, sexuality (= the fact of being sexuallyattracted to people of a particulargender), etc.:”

I too value free speech, that is, speech free from “slurs”.

@SerenStarEtoile
Yes it sounds unpleasant.

But not a crime.

But a slur is not a hate crime - I don't support suppression of speech based on your perception of what is offensive- you have the right to be offended but no right to suppress speech on that basis - it is a slippery slope - who defines what is offensive - perhaps your thoughts are offensive to me - so do I have the right to shut you up?

Just block her should be good enough. Not sure you should be reporting people to police for having vile views but I would definitely block her on all forms of media and blank her in real life.

Luckily I don’t have anybody on my life like this (I am very selective about who I choose to associate with) but the one person who was like this I don’t have contact with anymore.

Block her online and in real life.
I'm not sure I'd report her to the police though.

Ok peeps. Have it your way. Keep convincing yourselves that your GB News/Reform narrative is just banter.

Signing off.

This. I don’t believe in protecting bigots reputations. You can be honest about why you no longer are in contact with her.

Sorry! Not addressed to all. That’s a post for @GabriellaMontez @maddening

I think it would come under those non crime hate incidents which means the police would record it with the intention of identifying an escalation of behaviour likely to become criminal.

But I doubt she is actually likely to become a danger to immigrants. And she is entitled to her view however unsavory, there are legitimate political parties that hold the same view.

So just block and ignore.

I'm glad you've realised this isn't a hate crime and that reporting it to the police would be a waste of everyone's time.

Night!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-crime-hate-incidents-code-of-practice

I do not agree with the police holding a secret dossier on you for incidents that are not criminal. But it exists and can be used.