Policing Pronoun Usage

Apparently, British police have nothing better to do with their time but to harass people for using the wrong pronouns when referring to the transgendered. So, the night riders of the thought police are hard at work in Once-Great Britain.

Consider the case of Caroline Farrow, who has been summoned to the local constabulary to discuss her use of pronouns. Apparently, she had made transphobic comments on Twitter... and we cannot have that. While the invitation was voluntary, if Mrs. Farrow does not attend the interview she might be arrested. Apparently, people in Once-Great Britain no longer know the meaning of "voluntary."

The Telegraph reports the sordid details:

A devout Catholic and mother of five has been asked to attend a police interview after being accused of using the wrong pronoun to describe a transgender girl.

Caroline Farrow, was contacted by officers from the Surrey force to inform her they were investigating an allegation that she had made transphobic comments on Twitter.

Mrs Farrow is being investigated for a possible hate crime under the malicious communication act, an offence that carries a maximum two year prison sentence.

While the 44-year-old has been invited to attend the interview on a voluntary basis, she claims she has been warned that she could face arrest if fails to attend.

Posting on Twitter she wrote: "I have done nothing wrong, nothing illegal and will happily do jail time for my right to say that people cannot change sex."

Obviously, online Twitter trolls have been harassing her. Apparently, they too have nothing better to do with their time:

Since the row blew up Mrs Farrow said she had been subjected to a barrage of online abuse, including threats to her family.

Referring to that matter the police spokesman added: “We have been made aware that a number of allegations have since been made on Twitter and we will be making contact with the person concerned in relation to these posts.”

But the involvement of the police is likely to reignite the debate around the use of resources, at a time when officers are struggling to cope with high levels of violent crime and knife violence.

For our edification  James Kirkup explains the British law against hate speech:

She believes the force are investigating potential ‘malicious communications’, which would mean a possible breach of the Communications Act 2003.

Section 127 of that Act relates to the ‘Improper use of public electronic communications networks’ and says a person is guilty of an offence if he

‘(a) sends by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character; or  (b)causes any such message or matter to be so sent.’

A person can also offend under s127 ‘if, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another, he (a) sends by means of a public electronic communications network, a message that he knows to be false, (b)causes such a message to be sent; or (c)persistently makes use of a public electronic communications network.

Someone convicted of such an offence can be fined, or jailed for up to six months.

So, Once-Great Britain is making a complete mess of itself over Brexit. And the nation is suffering a wave of knife violence. British citizens can be comforted that the police are hard at work prosecuting and persecuting people for using language correctly.