#hate incident

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

'Hate' incidents being probed by police include a child who said a classmate smelled like fish, a woman likening another to a Rottweiler and the 'homophobic name Leonard'

By: Emily Jane Davies

Published: 22 Nov, 2024

Police forces have been blasted for investigating 'hate crimes' that include calling someone a Rottweiler or being called a 'Leonard' over a row about a hedge.

NCHIs are meant to be recorded for incidents 'clearly motivated by intentional hostility' and where there is a genuine risk of significant escalation, government guidance says.

But the police have been accused of wasting 'valuable time' on investigating so-called hate crimes such as an 'aggressively-administered haircut' instead of 'real crime'.

One former Met detective said it the situation is 'ridiculous', adding: 'No wonder there is a crimewave in this country.' 

Cases of reported hate crime include a Lithuanian customer who was unhappy with their haircut claimed it was done deliberately because he spoke Russian and the barber was allegedly 'aggressive and rough' as a result.

In one case, a German woman was likened to a Rottweiler in a parking dispute.

In another police were told someone had been homophobic because they referred to someone as a 'Leonard' in a row over a hedge.

Officers have also recorded incidents against children, such as one who called a fellow primary school pupil a 'retard', and against two schoolgirls who said another student smelled 'like fish'.

In 2021, a man was investigated for racial hatred because he whistled the Bob the Builder tune at his neighbour.

Wiltshire police also investigated an incident where a person said others were mocking the length of their hair. 

According to The Sun, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'This nonsense undermines confidence in policing.'

Around 13,000 NCHIs were recorded in the year to June, and may be diverting badly-needed resources from other crimes as the Met faces axing 2,000 officers.

Ex-detective Peter Bleksley told the newspaper: 'The guidelines suggest you should only intervene in cases like this where there is fear of escalation — who ever had a fear of escalation after a bad haircut?!'

The report was made online and later withdrawn, police said.

An NCHI can remain on file for six years and occasionally be disclosed to a prospective employer.

Reform MP Lee Anderson added: 'Our police have lost control of our streets, and now their bosses have lost control of their minds.'

[ Boris Johnson branded the investigation into Ms Pearson 'appalling' and an attack on free speech ]

It comes after a police force investigating a journalist for allegedly inciting racial hatred recorded 1,500 non-crime hate incidents in just two years while failing to answer non-emergency calls 'swiftly enough'.

According to The Times, a freedom of information response revealed that Essex Police logged 702 non-crime hate incidents between June 2023 and June 2024 and 834 in the 12 months before that.

But a separate police watchdog inspection also found that the force 'doesn't promptly resolve non-emergency calls', which could 'contribute to a loss of confidence in the service'.

One of the 'suspects' recorded on the force's hate incident database was a shopkeeper who refused a person entry to his shop because they had a guide dog with them.

Another complaint was logged when a civilian said they felt their bank was being difficult with them due to their 'skin colour and height'.

It comes as Essex Police faces criticism for investigating Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson over a tweet that was posted, and then quickly deleted, last year.

The force has been condemned for its actions by critics including former prime minister Boris Johnson who have questioned whether investigating hundreds of non-crime hate incidents is worthy of officers' time.

[ The journalist says officers have over-reacted to a year-old post she is said to have written on X, formerly Twitter, before swiftly deleting - this is among her posts this month in response ]

[ Allison Pearson has used X, formerly Twitter, to defend herself and criticise Essex Police ]

Ms Pearson said the police arrived at her door on Remembrance Sunday and told her they were investigating a 'non-crime hate incident'. 

However, Essex Police dispute this and said the officers were clear the alleged offence was inciting racial hatred. 

The Times also revealed last week that UK police forces had recorded more than 13,000 non-crime hate incidents in the past 12 months, including against schoolchildren, vicars and doctors.

Former officer Harry Miller claimed 'the system is broken' and stressed that non-crime hate incidents were 'only supposed to be recorded as a form of intelligence in order to prevent future crime'.

Another non-crime hate incident recorded between April and June this year in Essex saw a suspect allegedly mimicked a victim speaking Arabic.

In a separate incident, an unnamed suspect wrote a tweet on X 'which the victim has found deeply offensive and feels that it is a racist hate crime'.

However, officers say Pearson's tweet is being treated as an alleged criminal offence of inciting racial hatred, rather than a non-crime hate incident.

Responding to the statistics, an Essex Police spokesman said: 'Our work has seen crime fall in Essex, with 9,300 fewer recorded crimes in the last year and 20,000 fewer than five years ago.

'We also know we have the support of our community, with 77 per cent of people in Essex saying they think we do a good or excellent job.

'If someone reports an incident perceived to be motivated by hate or hostility, it will be recorded in accordance with the national standards and process as set out by the College of Policing.

'With every report of this kind made to us, we must consider future risks of significant harm set against freedom of speech and act upon — and record — incidents proportionately and appropriately.'

Newly collected data shows the recording of NCHIs is widespread - with critics questioning whether the investigation of non-crime hate incidents is an appropriate use of police resources, especially in cases regarding children.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary and former policing minister, said: 'These examples are obviously totally absurd.

'Pursuing these sorts of incidents is a total waste of police time - they should be concentrating on criminals. It risks having a chilling effect on free speech, one of the fundamental values of this country.'

Journalist Ms Pearson said she was still in her dressing gown when Essex Police officers showed up at her door on Remembrance Sunday.

A spokesman for Essex Police said this week: 'As a police force, we investigate matters which are reported to us without fear or favour, no matter who makes a report or to whom the incident concerns.'

At the time of Ms Pearson's alleged tweet last year, the journalist was regularly posting about Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel, as well as pro-Palestine demonstrations happening in London.

On Tuesday night, Essex Police said officers had opened an investigation under section 17 of the Public Order Act 1986 relating to material allegedly 'likely or intended to cause racial hatred'.

==

"it will be recorded in accordance with the national standards and process as set out by the College of Policing."

Therein lies the problem. This is not the result of a statute or law implemented through the government. It's the concoction of an unaccountable, ideologically captured organisation that has already been told to stop the practice. This is what it looks like when your entire police force is woke.

Allison Pearson's case has subsequently been dropped but never should have been pursued in the first place.

Shoplifting goes unpursued, but social media posts bring the full force of the law.

The UK has lost its fucking mind.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

so in an attempt to actually use positive thinking, anytime i fuck up and my brain reacts as if ive cause a minor apocalyptic event, i compare my fuck up to the 4 minute fuck up committed by the crew of the uss william d porter.

and only today, as i was having to explain what happened to my mom when i was explaining the whole comparison thing, did i realise that most people dont know about it and ive decided that needs to change because its objectively hilarious.

...which is a weird thing to say about an event that occured on a warship in 1943, specifically november 14th.

see the uss william d porter was a fletcher-class destroyer but you dont need to know what that means, just that she had guns that went bang bang and that she was escorting another ship, the uss iowa, to cairo.

while they were on their way there, they performed some gun trials like testing the anti-aircraft guns or the torpedos. and while they were running a torpedo drill, the crew of the porter managed to fire a live torpedo straight at the iowa which you know, in terms of a list of things to do while escorting a ship, shooting a torpedo at them is not on that list.

especially if the president of the united states is on board.

yeah so fdr was on board and the gun trials were actually his idea, and part of the trials was that they were conducted under radio silence.

and that means the crew of the porter couldnt just call the iowa to be like "move out the way, we accidentally shot a torpedo at you."

but they did have signal lamps and you know, the signalman on board was trained to signal this exact kind of message.

...and uh never mind, the signalman did manage to successfully tell the iowa that a torpedo was coming toward them but wasnt as successful when it came to the direction the torpedo was coming from.

not all hope is lost though because the signalman could still use the signal lamp to correct his previous mistake and-, never mind, he announced that the porter was reversing, which she wasnt.

yeah so at catastrophic mistake number 3, they broke radio silence to warn the iowa and she managed to turn out of the way just in time which meant no one got hurt. and even though the inquiry into the incident led to chief torpedoman (fantastic job title btw) lawton dawson being sentences to hard labour, fdr intervened and waved away his sentence, saying it was all an accident.

but yeah, so thats my new measure for "how much did i really fuck up?" and when i compared accidentally picking up a pencil case without a tag on it in wilko, turns out it was a very minor fuck-up. yes, the cashier had to ask another worker to grab a duplicate so they could scan the barcode, but i didnt nearly kill the president during wartime via accidental friendly fire

[rock-in-robins]

"Tim feels abandoned" "he's being ignored" "tim is jealous of the attention they give damian" "tim is-" tim drake would break out into actual literal hives at the thought of anything resembling an adult monitoring him, he'd starting hissing like a feral cat if Bruce tried to get involved with his business, he'd saw his own arm off if his family tried to demand he checks in more than once a month with heavily coded messages

[sans-undertales-pussy]

"we're forcing kris to go on a date to the festival with berdly as punishment for being sneaky" is funny

but "kris is going on a date to the festival with berdly because they genuinely like them and want to punish the player" is the funnier option in my opinion

or the secret genuinely sweet THIRD option "it was initially supposed to be the player punishing kris but they end up genuinely having a very fun time and the punishment backfires and kris unironically like-likes berdly now which the player hates cuz it means more berdly"

[bastardcatthings]

I find it so funny when people love Michael, senna, or seb, while hating max and saying he's "too aggressive". Ayrton senna did not make alain prost actively suicidal for you to forget he was aggressive. Sebastian vettel did not get booed by the crowd tens of times for you to say he wasn't aggressive. MICHAEL SHUMACHER WOULD SHOOT A BITCH IF HE HAD A GUN IN THE COCKPIT GIVE ME BREAK-

[jynxedshapeshifter]

heres your reminder that van zieks acknowledges that his racism is illogical

also

this is realistic. if you let hatred fester for too long it becomes uncontrollable. that applies to anything and everything.

[wandixx]

Danny, the Young Justice member snippet nr 2

these snippets aren't connected in anyway but just some little scenes I came up with, everyone is welcome to build up on them if they want to

Trigger warning: death mentioned, self-harm mentioned, idk, Danny gets flashback to portal incident

unrelated snippet nr 1, unrelated snippet nr 3 (?)

Out, out, out.

He tripped over his own legs and almost fell and it didn’t matter because he needed to get out. 

Away, away, away. 

He wasn’t sure if he ran or flew or dragged himself on the rough floor but he had to get away. His back hit a wall and he couldn’t get past it, intangibility just out of his grasp.

He logically knew that Zeta Tube wasn't the same as the portal but it was similar. So deadly similar.

He wasn’t sure when his own, corps-like, trembling with rigor mortis cold hands started rubbing his arms. He also wasn’t sure whether it was to comfort himself in this lonely self-hug or to try to rub hard enough that the hazmat and skin underneath would be torn, allowing him to see his own, red blood running in his veins. It was still red, right? It was still red, right? Of course it was still running, why wouldn’t it?

His knees gave up. He fell to the ground with quiet reverbatting thump, his eyes fixated on danger at the other side of the large room. He had to get further away but he couldn’t.

Because he was dying again.

Eyes full of tears and terror were jumping around, unable to see the room around him. Why couldn’t he see anything? Why were there only splashes of various colors, all contrasting with a light gray background. Were these people? Colors were moving, that seemed likely. Ghosts?! He had to get ready if these were ghosts he needed to fight them. People could be in danger and he couldn’t even stand without support. He started it, he had to take care of it, no matter how he felt right now.

His normally overly, unnaturally sensitive ears were filled with constant electric buzz from still active Zeta Tubes.

He was quite sure someone was yelling something but no matter what, Danny couldn’t understand what was being said. He tried looking around again but his teary eyes still failed him. There were no red stains though. Not in the right shade at least. No one was bleeding. It was okay for now.

Was it really? He hadn’t bled when he was dying had his accident though. It was all inside him, the crushing hollowness inside him and infinite outside pressure making his body implode. Ectoplasm bubbling in his mouth, throat, stomach and fingers, silencing his scream of agony and destroying his muscles. His limbs were limp and tense, twitching like a broken light bulb, out of his control but not out of his senses. It was so cold that it bit his bones and so hot that his skin was melting. There were screams so loud that it could shatter glass, as if every inhabitant of the Ghost Zone wanted to be heard and absolute suffocating silence. He was alone like nobody ever was and stuck in a stifling crowd that could stomp him to death any second. It was all contrasting, impossible but happening, existing together. He lived died it.

It was impossible, just like him.

There were others, they could help while Danny got himself together.

They couldn’t help if it was a ghost. He had to calm down and get ready to fight.

He couldn’t.

It was all happening again.

He was dying again.

It hurt to even think about.

Would it at least kill him for good?

Air he hadn’t needed before, not since his first death he always needed, like all functioning, alive human beings, got stuck in his lungs. He was gasping for it, choking on it. There was something stuck in his throat. SOme part of his brain that wasn’t screaming in agony and panic and loneliness had considered tearing his neck open just to get whatever was stuck swallowing but it didn’t help. 

He rubbed his arms harder. His eyes were locked on a blurred, still active portal. One of the color blobs moved, growing larger but he couldn’t think about what it meant. His arms hurt. It was good. Pain was grounding. In a gray room with few portals. Not the basement. Ghosts still could be there but it wasn't a basement. He still needed to get ready to fight

If he could feel pain, it meant he was alive, right? Ghosts never showed that they felt pain right? His parents always said they couldn���t.

He knew it was a lie but he felt like it was his last hope.

He realized that growing group of colors actually looked like a person but he had no way to tell whether they were alive or not. His ghost sense was quiet but he didn’t trust himself to not miss it. His throat was still shut tightly. His body kept twitching like a glitching character. No matter what, he couldn’t fight right then. He had to get himself together.

He scratched his arms almost violently.

Warm, soft, gentle hands pried his palms away from his arms. It wasn't a ghost. Ghosts weren't this gentle, this calmingly warm. Someone, someone who was alive, was crouching in front of him, face at the same level as his, hiding portals from his sight. Danny nearly sunk into their gentle touch.

“-om." their voice also was so gentle, filled with concern but firm enough to get to him over the buzz of portals. He tried to concentrate on this voice. He didn't want to hear portals.

"-ntom." It sounded like they were calling someone. He had to focus more to understand. Gentle grip on his wrists got more firm. There he was. He wouldn't feel it if he was dying again.

"Phantom." They called quietly, like little windbells Sam gave him as a birthday present. It was his name, they were asking him something he couldn't understand, something he couldn't do.

"I'm sorry."

He wasn't sure if any sound came out of his mouth.

Grip on his hands loosened a little, not enough for him to do anything about it, but enough to return to the pure feeling of safety and reassurance it gave him before.

“It's okay Phantom." they murmured. Danny nearly cried at their kindness and calmness. Air slowly started to fill his lungs again. It truly was okay, he wasn't dying again."Can you focus on five things you can see for me?"

He could do it. It wasn't much to repay the gentle person kneeling in front of him.

He blinked tears away and started the list in his head.

Black Canary in front of him.

Superboy in the middle of the room. He looked like he didn't know what to do.

Kid Flash next to him, ready to come to where Danny was shaking on the floor.

Robin and Artemis both made sure that Kid stayed where he was.

Miss Martian for sure feeling his panic and having trouble coping with this. He should calm down as soon as he can, he didn't want to cause any of his teammates too much stress.

Danny nodded, looking once again at the only adult hero in the room.

Molecules in his body were rearranging again. It all hurt.

"Thank you Phantom. Can you focus on four things you can hear?"

Five racing heartbeats.

One heartbeat that sounded more like buzz because of its speed. KF's heart was always weird.

Tapping of someone's feet.

Zeta Tubes.

He had been in the portal again, it had turned on with him inside again. He was dying again.

Next cautious nod.

"Alright. Now three things you can touch." Black Canary still sounded so calm, so sure she had it all under control. So contrary to her panicked heart. Danny wanted to believe her voice.

Canary's hands still on his wrists. In fact she was touching him more than he was her, but it still counted. There was some physics rule about it.

Cold stone he was sitting on. Weird, he was sure this cave was heated.

Hard wall pressing on his spine.

"Excellent. Two things you can smell?"

Jazz had done same exercise with him before.

Cookies made by Megan before she went on a mission.

Ectoplasm. Somewhere there was ectoplasm that wasn't inside him. He couldn't smell his own ecto. But there was no ghost in the cave. His sense was silent. It was there somehow else. It was concerning but not enough to make him panic again. They could handle it.

His lungs were still aching but air started filling them nearly as much as it did normally. His limbs stopped shaking so much too. He knew he wasn't dying this time. He was calming down.

"You're doing great Phantom. Now think, what's one thing you can taste?"

Aftertaste of ectoplasm he spat between the rough fight and the moment when Kid Flash rushed him to the nearest Zeta Tube, talking about medical attention. Danny tried to tell him, he didn't need that but he was inside before his explanation left his mouth.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah," It was all he was able to say at the moment. He truly felt better but that didn't mean good. It was only a little less bad than shitty, one step from fully dead.

I considered writing continuation with Danny explaining a bit what happened and how he even ended up in Zeta Tube but a) lost spark to rewrite it b) hated what already had But if you want, I can probably rub my remaining two braincels together and continue. Or someone else can. Do it if you want to. Do it. Do it

[snarkspawn]

some KoD/Spirealm sketches

[steviewashere]

Steve seeing Karen Carpenter playing the drums on television when he's a kid and deciding, right then and there that he has to play, too.

Cut to a handful of years later when Eddie sees Steve pick up the exact percussion method from a song by ear alone, him tapping it all out on his lap, muttering the time under his breath. It's the hottest thing he's ever seen.

[cuntholicism]

t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e phil u better get the hell out the sea 🎶🎶🎶

[eastcoast-envy]

Over the past six years I've slowly but surely developed a sixth sense that only comes in handy a few times a year. This sense functions mostly as a "check-engine" light, and nowadays it is never wrong.

Today, my inner check-engine light came on while my brother and I were out and about (lunch, shopping, driving) and I immediately steered us towards home. We were already ready to go home so it was easy.

Once home I prepared for It To Begin because the light is on and it is never wrong. As the hours ticked by though, I began to question myself. Where was the pain? Where was the light-headedness? My appetite was still here, so maybe the light was wrong?

The light is never wrong. An hour and a half ago It Began and I jumped into action. I stopped what I was doing, took meds, and brought my things to my room. Then I forced myself to shower because if I didn't now, who knew when I would next.

A mental timer began in my head, telling me that if I was not in bed (or at least sitting down) when the timer was up, my body would go down for me. I washed myself knowing that my strength would not last, that my limbs would betray me if I wasn't careful. I bargained with my vision to stay as it was.

My body has been merciful so far, but I remember the times when I haven't been so lucky.

I've begged my brother and father for medicine and water through a bathroom door because I was too weak to walk 20 feet to get it myself. I've nearly had a medical emergency at the National Aquarium because the pain became too great for me to bear, as I sat hunched over waiting for my granddad to bring the car closer. I prayed that my rapidly decreasing vision would remain stable enough for me to make it to the car. I've been sick from school, or sent home early because the pain kept me from learning, and the medicine the school nurses gave me had no effect. I've been bed-bound during vacations because I felt too weak and the pain was too great, and I cried knowing there was nothing I could do about it. It would only stop after 48 hours if I was lucky.

This post is about menstruating, and if your experience or the experience of someone you know is like this, this is not normal and you should talk to a medical professional. Periods should not be debilitating.

[brainrotisseriechicken]

transfem abel is real to me

[askoverkill]

(Ooc: poor Isabeau. [my guesses are] Not only were the defenders corrupt (which I would guess would be the first “extra” emotional wall he had), but presumably he still opened up to the party, and still fell in love, only to learn that the person he loves probably will die, and is going through it anyways, which will make him cut himself off to “not bog down their possible last days with a unwanted crush from me”! Im guessing he overcorrected and basically stonewalled Siffrin. And, because of his new job, he feels like his relationship is more transactional! Ohh pain and suffering and pain! So fun thanks for sharing!)

yes!!! exactly!!!!!! you got it.

[muzsmocsing]

old man jenkins escaped the geriatric ward again

[leclerking]

[vonnebenan]

they <3 (again ...)

(Or: Why should I paint something else when I can just paint them again and again instead?)

watercolour + coloured pencils, ~A5; process photos below the cut

If the whole painting looks a bit blotchy: That’s totally intentional and not at all because I accidentally knocked over my glass of water and flooded my entire desk including the painting (and then got so fed up with watercolours that I switched to coloured pencils). But at least I finished it in time for Spones Day!