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  • Asking somebody to speak English Englsih a hate crime?

    From Jeff Gaines@21:1/5 to All on Tue Apr 15 13:08:32 2025
    There is a post on Facebook that eventually leads to this report in
    newsweek:

    Policeman apparently says:
    "Apparently during some conversations between yourself, you've alleged, we weren't here so I don't know you've said that, you've alleged to say
    'speak English,' or words to that effect," the officer said.

    The man, along with a woman who was with him, told the officer he was
    partially deaf and that he was asking somebody to speak "clearly"

    The officer then said that if he said to "speak English," that
    "potentially, someone could perceive that as a hate crime." However, the
    video ceased recording after that, and it's not clear what followed.
    Police have not publicly commented on the video.

    https://www.newsweek.com/british-police-speak-english-hate-crime-outrage-2059604

    On the basis of the somewhat limited information could his be a so-called
    hate crime?

    --
    Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
    If Björn & Benny had been called Syd and Dave then ABBA would have been
    called ASDA.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Roger Hayter@21:1/5 to Jeff Gaines on Tue Apr 15 13:49:13 2025
    On 15 Apr 2025 at 14:08:32 BST, ""Jeff Gaines"" <jgnewsid@outlook.com> wrote:


    There is a post on Facebook that eventually leads to this report in
    newsweek:

    Policeman apparently says:
    "Apparently during some conversations between yourself, you've alleged, we weren't here so I don't know you've said that, you've alleged to say
    'speak English,' or words to that effect," the officer said.

    The man, along with a woman who was with him, told the officer he was partially deaf and that he was asking somebody to speak "clearly"

    The officer then said that if he said to "speak English," that
    "potentially, someone could perceive that as a hate crime." However, the video ceased recording after that, and it's not clear what followed.
    Police have not publicly commented on the video.

    https://www.newsweek.com/british-police-speak-english-hate-crime-outrage-2059604

    On the basis of the somewhat limited information could his be a so-called hate crime?

    No. Rude, yes, but without evidence of harassement or insult or aggression
    etc. it could not possibly be a hate crime in England. I am less sure about Scotland, where a hate crime does not require any action which would be a
    crime even without the "hate" element.

    --

    Roger Hayter

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