Posted on 01/14/2013 5:19:05 PM PST by the scotsman
'The crime of "insulting" someone through words or behaviour, which once led to the arrest of a student for asking a police officer whether his horse was gay, is to be dropped.
Home Secretary Theresa May confirmed to MPs that the government would not seek to overturn a Lords amendment scrapping the ban.
The director of public prosecutions has said it will not hinder his work. But Labour warned that it could remove protections for minority groups.
Section 5 of the 1986 Public Order Act currently means that "threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour" might be deemed a criminal offence.
It has been strongly criticised by free-speech campaigners, and in December the House of Lords voted by 150 to 54, a majority of 96, to remove the word insulting.'
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
But this action in no way will be construed to eliminate “thought” crimes prosecution.
Yet the word ‘abusive’ remains, and surely that can cover anything which would now be considered insulting. With vague terms like that it hardly matters whether another vague term is also used.
Why on earth would the authorities object because a student asked a policeman if his horse was gay?
Surely in these latter days that is a compliment. Good horse!
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