NR PLUS PC Culture

The Right Not to Be Offended

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Police officers stand guard during a demonstration against the lockdown and use of face masks outside Downing Street in London, England, August 29, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)
It is an emerging tendency in our culture to seek preemptive protection from offense. But do those desiring it know what they’re getting themselves into?

NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE A local police force in Merseyside, England held a public event with a giant digital billboard showing the rainbow flag that is the banner of the LGBT community and a slogan in white: “HATE CRIME: Being Offensive Is an Offence.”

To emphasize the message, the billboard also blared: “Merseyside Police stand with and support the LGBTQ+ community, we will not tolerate Hate Crime on any level.”

It had fine print — or as fine as print gets for a billboard — helpfully defining what a “hate crime” was: “A crime against: Sex Workers, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Gender Identity, Race, Ethnicity or Nationality, …

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