It will not take you long to find images on the internet of folks holding up placards in London demanding the beheading of those who offend Islam or with a Swastika daubed over the Star of David. Arguably such actions could be described as an incitement to racial hatred but if you search for details of those charged you will find no such records exist. On the other hand last week Matthew Doyle, a 46 year old idiot from Croydon tweeted
I confronted a Moslem woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said "nothing to do with me". A mealy mouthed reply.
On Friday the PC warriors at the Metropolitan Police raided and trashed Mr Doyle's flat, took away his computers and took him into custody charging him with actions that were likely to stir up racial hatred.
Apparently the Old Bill should have sought approval from the Crown Prosectution Service before this raid and did not. The CPS has said it would not want to charge Mr Doyle and so on this technicality he has been let off and is now going to sue the rozzers.
Over on twitter some folks have parodied and laughed at Mr Doyle for being an idiot (the correct response) while others have sent him death threats which is ther wrong response but something the Old Bill almost certainly will not investigate but should.
Having received a death threat on twitter (for exposing fraud at Quindell) I know the Old Bill will do nothing. If I was a celeb, if I was Tom Daley's boyfriend then it would be different but for ordinary folks like me or Mr Doyle there is no protection from twitter death threats. From 1984 to Animal Farm: some are more equal than others.
I was warned on twitter by someone that I should not have run my article last week about how I felt hearing a bloke rush past me at Gatwick screaming into his cell phone in arabic. I was told by a well meaning fellow that in "the current climate" one cannot tell the truth. Or in this case just say how events in Brussels make me feel when wandering through an airport. I reckon that in the curret climate there is even more reason to tell the truth, to speak out.
Mr Doyle's tweet was clearly utterly idiotic. And frankly it is racist in its implication that all Moslems share blame for the actions of a few. But does it really merit the Old Bill arresting him? Does it really incite racial hatred in a meaningful way?
When an Orwellian State takes an undue interest in what we can or cannot say it gets into very dangerous territory. For me those placards comparing Jews to Nazis are far more offensive and likely to incite racial hatred than the silly tweet of Mr Doyle. But I would not prosecute those holding them either.
Instead I'd publicise and expose those folks who are obviously deranged Jew haters to ridicule them and expose their vile actions to full scrutiny. That is the way to show how stupid their bigotries are and how there is no factual evidence to support them and for the world to move on. Equally those who parodied Mr Doyle on twitter were often funny and showed what a fool he is with a silly and prejudiced view of the world.
Sadly the Met, which surely has more important things to do, is the bigger fool in this sad episode of Carry on up the Road to Serfdom