Britain’s police forces are no friend of free expression and of freedom of speech. It is sad to have to say that but this is what is the reality of the situation on the ground. Rather than impartial upholders of the law, as envisioned by Sir Robert Peel in the 19th century, the modern British police force is more of a very partial enforcer of political correctness.
Police forces who may be tardy or reluctant to turn out to investigate burglaries or thefts from members of the public or their businesses, seem to be more than willing and able to spring into action when someone ‘perceives’ that they are ‘offended’ by something someone said or wrote.
Areas that are suffering from crime or the fear of crime which don’t see a police officer from one week to the next suddenly find that they are full of plod the moment someone says something that the Left or someone with the Orwellean sounding ‘protected characteristic’ doesn’t like or disapproves of.
The latest area to suffer from an ‘ attack of the thought police’ is the Herefordshire town of Leominster where a 19 year old woman, Charlotte Walker, has been dragged through the courts for the ‘heinous’ crime of publishing a poem on her Facebook page. The poem, which to my ears sounds distasteful and probably not something I would write myself, mocked black people, Poles and Muslims. Now although I may disagree with what the poem said, I defend her right to speak her opinion even if it may be one I disagree with. The best way to deal with opinions that you don’t agree with is to have a civil discussion with the person with the different opinion not to arrest and fine the person for saying that with which you disagree.
What is galling about this case is that this particular poem was not exactly widely shared on social media. According to the Hereford Times (h/t MM thanks) this poem was commented upon approximately 354 times, with 10 incidents where it had been shared with others. This is in no way an influential viral poem with millions of viewers, it is something shared between a small group of people. On top of that the piece was only up for 24 hours. This is really using the sledgehammer of a police force bent by political correctness, in this case West Mercia Police to crack the tiny nut of someone’s opinion. Ms Walker was fined £75 and charged £165 in court costs and ‘victim surcharge’ by Hereford Magistrates after she admitted ‘racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress in words or writing’. I’d like to ask just who has been ‘harassed’ here? Is it the snowflake or the police officer who saw this writing and clutched at their metaphorical pearls, or is it Ms Walker herself being harassed by the state over something as trivial as an opinion or a poem? From what I can see it is the latter.
Here’s part of the Hereford Times article about this latest example of the police being very eager to prosecute ‘thought crimes’ like this but who are less than eager to protect us from crime even though protecting us from crime is what we pay these plod to do. As is usual policy for this blog the original text from the source is in italics whereas this blog’s comments are in plain text.
The Hereford Times said:
A TEENAGER who posted a racist poem on Facebook has been fined by magistrates who said the verse was ‘nasty’.
Charlotte Walker, of Kenwater Close, Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress in words or writing at Hereford Magistrates Court.
I’d like to know who exactly has been ‘distressed’ here? This poem wasn’t widely published and the original report of the ‘offence’ seems to have come from some sort of ‘grass’ who informed the police about it. Is this is what we have come to in the UK with informers snitching to the police about others opinions? Sadly it seems to be that way. The poem probably was ‘nasty’ but we see and hear lots of things in life that are ‘nasty’ but should any of these ‘nasty’ words elicit police action, of course not.
The court was told that the 19-year-old had found a poem online which made racist remarks about Muslims, Polish and black people and had posted it on her own Facebook page.
These were opinions nothing more. They were not explicit instructions to go out and commit acts of violence on members of this group or that group at such and such a time and place, this would be incitement and there are already ways to deal with that sort of thing. All Ms Walker did was express opinions not engage in the sort of activity that reasonable people would accept should elicit police involvement. Now I may or may not agree with Ms Walker’s opinions but she should have the right to express her opinions even if I don’t agree with them. I would hazard a guess that there is far worse being said on Friday afternoons in many of Britain’s mosques than has been said in this poem, but guess who and guess who does not get nicked for their words. That’s right it’s not the Islamic hate preachers who get arrested and charged, its ordinary people like Ms Walker who the police now seem to make a habit of bullying.
Sara Beddow, prosecuting, said: “After being posted on Facebook there were various likes within the Facebook community and 354 comments, with 10 incidents where it had been shared with others.
This is a miniscule number of shares for an article on a platform like Facebook. You could maybe understand the police going after people with large audiences who are saying stuff that genuinely and credibly incites violence, but not in this case.
“Police officers spoke to her and she said it was a rhyme she had found and had shared.”
In a police interview, she confirmed she had posted the poem to her page and left it there for a few hours but some of the comments began to cause concern and, after her mother advised her to delete it, she decided to do so.
So let’s get this straight. Ms Walker published the poem, thought better of it and took it down yet the police still continued to bully this young woman and drag her through the courts. Is it any wonder that as more of these ‘thought crime’ arrests occur, the police are being seen more and more by decent people as scum interested only in pandering to minorities and the permanently offended to the exclusion of all else?
“She did not give a reason for the post,” Miss Beddow said.
In a free society, which Britain used to be, there should be no damn reason why Ms Walker should have to give a reason for her opinion to the police.
Chris Read, defending, said police had received an anonymous report about the ‘schoolchildren-type’ poem but no formal complaint had been made.
So this case went ahead without any formal complaint by anybody and was the result of some grass pointing out to the police the existence of the poem on Ms Walker’s Facebook page. This is truly a; victimless crime with nobody claiming to have been ‘harmed’ by Ms Walker’s opinion and no damage done to anybody or anything.
“It had not been published in the commonly accepted sense of the word, and only people acquainted with her would ever have seen it,” he said.
This suggests to me that the grass may be quite close to Ms Walker. I hope the grass is unmasked and is confronted with what they’ve done and feels shame for doing their bit to kill free speech in Britain by acting as a police informer. I said in a previous article on here back in February of this year that politically correct informers should be a part of East Germany’s past not Britain’s present.
“It was clocking up likes but, despite that, having realised something was going on and after speaking to her mother, she took it down.
“This was available for people to see for less than 24 hours.”
The more I read about this case the more disturbed and angry I become. This woman published something, thought better of it and took it down. There the matter should have ended. I’m not in favour of speech restrictions outside of that where a credible threat to kill or threat of violence is involved but surely this could have been dealt with by way of police officer advice rather than dragging this woman through the courts?
The West Mercia and Worcestershire Police areas encompass some quite sensitive military sites along with many people who live in isolated rural areas where they are quite vulnerable to crime. Would it not be better for these forces to spend their resources on protecting these people and these military assets rather than bullying a young woman who appears to have merely made a mistake with her words.
To paraphrase George Orwell, if you want to imagine what a future Britain would be like if the politically correct PC’s of West Mercia had their way then imagine some Leftist or Muslim boot gagging your mouth forever.
Link
Original story about the latest thought crime arrest from the Hereford Times
http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/15610261.Teenager_fined_for_racist_poem_on_Facebook/?ref=ebmpn
Addendum
Just in case the comments ‘disappear’ from the HT website (something that can happen in local papers when ‘sensitive’ issues are discussed’ I have pasted the comments below.
So are the 10 people who shared it going to be prosecuted aswell?, while drug dealers and burglers and sex offenders go unpunished.
Last Updated: 23rd October 8:23 pm
21
RogerLFC 23rd October 12:26 pm
Herefordboy wrote: So are the 10 people who shared it going to be prosecuted aswell?, while drug dealers and burglers and sex offenders go unpunished.
My thoughts exactly. 11 people seem to have published this poem on FB. One has appeared in Court. But what action has been taken about the other ten?
Last Updated: 23rd October 5:11 pm
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Mike33 23rd October 10:36 am
So you stand a chance of getting prosecuted for racist poems on facebook, yet some of the trolls on this site seem to say as they like??
Last Updated: 2 hrs ago
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fairguy 23rd October 10:47 am
Good comment, Mike33, the Nazi comment last week on here was particularly nasty. The parents of this young woman need to take a hard look at how they have brought her up. People like these should be using their energy protesting the indigenous British idle dole merchants who infect the town of Leominster with their presence. I am told Aldi & Morrisons are recruiting & there are numerous care jobs to be filled. We should follow Belgium’s line ‘You don’t work, you get no dole!’
Last Updated: 2 hrs ago
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Mike33 23rd October 12:07 pm
I strongly agree fairguy. In Australia, some people living off the state have to go on community projects before they get the benefits, unless they are unable to work due to incapacity.
Last Updated: 2 hrs ago
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Lord Horatio Nelson 23rd October 12:22 pm
I think, if you haven’t contributed to the system then you deserve f-all. Foreigners should get nothing and no NHS. That will get rid of the filth.
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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Mike33 23rd October 12:55 pm
The problem is that the majority of people claiming handouts without contributing are homegrown, and not foreigners.
Last Updated: 2 hrs ago
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RichHadley 23rd October 1:04 pm
It depends who you think are the filth Horatio. Some people might consider your opinions to be pretty rank.
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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fairguy 23rd October 9:06 pm
Lord Nelson would turn in his grave, you are using his name to post such ignorant comments! I was in hospital recently here in Hereford. The British nurses & doctors were fantastic as were the two Italian, three Filipino nurses, one Greek & one Bulgarian nurse, one Indian, one Romanian doctor & a Hungarian physiotherapist! I will give you until 9am tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to delete your post or I will report it to WMP! Your choice!
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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Lord Horatio Nelson 23rd October 11:56 am
I don’t see a problem with this at all, a joke is a joke, stand-up comedians do it. Religion should be ridiculed for the filth it is. Plus, izlom is a cancer.
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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mizza21 23rd October 6:37 pm
You are entitled to your views young man, but you should be aware that you in a tiny minority.. The majority of UK citizens are actually rather welcoming and tolerant.
When you do your citizenship classes at school you could ask about tolerance.
Religion gives a lot of people comfort. Dawkins and others seek to take this away from them without any intelligent thought about how this spiritual vacuum should be replaced.
Last Updated: 23rd October 6:56 pm
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spongemum 23rd October 9:32 pm
Dawkins does not seek to take religion away from anyone honesty and the promotion of the true origins of our planet are his subjects. If people wish to believe in the supernatural that’s their choice but it should not be used for dubious purpose, war, wealth and power but it always is, sadly.
Last Updated: 1 hr ago
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mizza21 1 hr ago
Fair points Ms mum.. particularly the last bit.. His arguments and his approach belittles religion though. We are nothing if not spiritual beings. Religion is a way of expressing spirituality as well as a very useful way to moderate our behaviour.
0
Lord Horatio Nelson 23rd October 12:25 pm
We don’t want to be a “multicultural society”, we were never asked, it was forced upon us!
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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RichHadley 23rd October 1:05 pm
You speak on behalf of 60 million British citizens? Not in my name.
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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Onlyvisiting 23rd October 3:44 pm
I think you are confusing ‘multicultural society’ with marrying outside of your immediate family aren’t you LHR?
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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jacko59 23rd October 5:16 pm
Plus a bit of further education wouldnt go adrift ifs thats how you spell Islam.
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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klulass 23rd October 1:07 pm
It would seem that George Orwells ‘Thought Police’ will soon be a reality and not just fiction.
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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Rob56 23rd October 1:42 pm
So, a teenager from a Herefordshire town can post a poem found online and is fined. However, Donald Trump can spew his venom across social media with no comeback. What a joke!
Last Updated: 23rd October 6:56 pm
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Inspector Burnside 23rd October 4:24 pm
What’s happened to freedom of speech in this country if you say anything wrong about a foreign person or an ethnic minority you are in trouble I go in the shops in Hereford and there are foreigners speaking their language now as far as I know they could be calling me everything under the sun but there’s there’s nobody there that understands what they’re saying so it’s a one-way thing as far as I’m concerned that little girl has a right to her opinion she’s she’s British some of these people will say I’m British I was born here and there is a saying if a dog’s born in a stable you don’t call it a horse
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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Davros 8 hrs ago
Inspector Burnside wrote: What’s happened to freedom of speech in this country if you say anything wrong about a foreign person or an ethnic minority you are in trouble I go in the shops in Hereford and there are foreigners speaking their language now as far as I know they could be calling me everything under the sun but there’s there’s nobody there that understands what they’re saying so it’s a one-way thing as far as I’m concerned that little girl has a right to her opinion she’s she’s British some of these people will say I’m British I was born here and there is a saying if a dog’s born in a stable you don’t call it a horse
Yeah, next you’ll be complaining about Brits abroad speaking English to one another, Irony much.
Last Updated: 1 hr ago
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Inspector Burnside 4 hrs ago
Davros wrote:
Inspector Burnside wrote: What’s happened to freedom of speech in this country if you say anything wrong about a foreign person or an ethnic minority you are in trouble I go in the shops in Hereford and there are foreigners speaking their language now as far as I know they could be calling me everything under the sun but there’s there’s nobody there that understands what they’re saying so it’s a one-way thing as far as I’m concerned that little girl has a right to her opinion she’s she’s British some of these people will say I’m British I was born here and there is a saying if a dog’s born in a stable you don’t call it a horse
Yeah, next you’ll be complaining about Brits abroad speaking English to one another, Irony much.
I’m sorry if I upset you what nationality are you polish?
I would just like to say There is no need for people to go abroad if you walk around Hereford some days you would think you were in a foreign country anyway😁👍
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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mizza21 23rd October 6:32 pm
This is great.. If we don’t discuss these issues then the backward views of those expressed in this thread cannot be challenged.
Those who insult islam after having watched a few youtube vdeos are clearly using this as a flimsy ill-conceived attempt to disguise base racism. One could make all the same arguments about Christianity that one makes about islam. It’s all in the interpretation.
The courts are no place to deal with this sort of thing. If people who harbour racist or intolerant views do not have freedom to express them then how can we ever expect them to learn? If their views are not challenged then the next generation with who they share them privately will not see their elders views challenged and will not they themselves challenge them.
In this way I believe we can prevent racist views from perpetuating and become a more tolerant welcoming society, rather than living with fear.
Last Updated: 23rd October 7:24 pm
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Grammar Nazi 23rd October 11:31 pm
mizza21 wrote: This is great.. If we don’t discuss these issues then the backward views of those expressed in this thread cannot be challenged.Those who insult islam after having watched a few youtube vdeos are clearly using this as a flimsy ill-conceived attempt to disguise base racism. One could make all the same arguments about Christianity that one makes about islam. It’s all in the interpretation.The courts are no place to deal with this sort of thing. If people who harbour racist or intolerant views do not have freedom to express them then how can we ever expect them to learn? If their views are not challenged then the next generation with who they share them privately will not see their elders views challenged and will not they themselves challenge them. In this way I believe we can prevent racist views from perpetuating and become a more tolerant welcoming society, rather than living with fear.
To start with, you need to capitalise the “I” in Islam.
You need a comma after the word “issues.”
The word, when spelled correctly, in English, is “videos.”
I couldn’t suffer reading the rest.
Last Updated: 1 hr ago
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mizza21 57 mins ago
yawn
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RogerLFC 23rd October 11:27 pm
‘A TREE surgeon who has been targeted by criminals and had £70,000 worth of equipment stolen during two burglaries has blasted police for failing to catch the culprits. Andrew now says police have told him there is no money to investigate his crimes.’ http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/15102427.Tree_surgeon_slams_police_over_unsolved_crimes/ ~ Money has been freed up to detect some low hanging fruit on FB ~ a poem that no one complained about officially! Exercise to improve figures it seems to me. Meanwhile the beheading videos and real nasty stuff is still out there!
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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StatingTheObvious2 23rd October 11:49 pm
A teenage girl shared a poem,
On Facebook she posted it,
Some people got offended,
And things then went to sh**
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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RogerLFC 11 hrs ago
Who wrote/published the poem originally? Is it still available on line? Are they being chased? Or have WMP just targeted the lowest possible Leominster resident at the very bottom of this particular internet food chain? And the content of the poem is still the missing elephant in the room. What did it say?
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
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dilwyn eye 3 hrs ago
The problem these days is that the idiom “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me” has gone out the window. Social media allows us to post an opinion, whether we like it or not, is a different matter. We live in a society that allows freedom of speech, however radical or distasteful. If you do not agree with a persons view, then simply scroll past and the post will most likely be consigned to the dark forgotten corners of the web. Ah the folly of youth!
