Murdo Fraser, the MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, has threatened Police Scotland with legal action if it doesn’t delete a ‘hate incident (non-crime)’ it recorded against him and scrap the national guidance it’s following, whereby if a hate crime report turns out not be a crime it is automatically recorded in this way. The Free Speech Union is helping Murdo with the case, which may be significant because after the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act comes into force on April 1st Police Scotland will be deluged with tens of thousands of ‘hate crime’ reports and the vast majority will turn out not to be crimes at all, but, as per the guidance, will be recorded as ‘hate incidents’. This can have a detrimental affect on a person’s career. In Murdo’s case, for instance, the original complainant, when notified Murdo’s tweet had been recorded as a ‘hate incident’, contacted the ethical standards commissioner of the Scottish parliament and tried to get him to open an investigation into Murdo’s fitness to serve as an MSP on the grounds that the police had designated his tweet as hateful. The Scottish Mailhas the story.
A trans activist reported the post on X, formerly Twitter, to Police Scotland whose officers decided it did not amount to a crime but should be classed as a ‘hate incident’ which will remain on record – even though no law had been broken.
Mr. Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, is threatening legal action against the force to have the incident deleted and its hate crime policy changed, with the support of the Free Speech Union (FSU).
The row comes ahead of the SNP Government’s new hate crime laws coming into force next Monday, April 1st, amid fears police will be inundated with ‘baseless’ allegations. The legislation creates a new offence of “stirring up hatred” on the basis of disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and age, which for most of these categories can include “expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule or insult”.
Last night Mr. Fraser told the Mail: “Police Scotland has behaved not just outrageously, but unlawfully according to the legal advice obtained by the FSU. This is Police Scotland attacking free speech but it is more sinister than that. My tweet wasn’t pointing a finger at an individual, it was critical of a Scottish Government policy. If police are now treating criticism of SNP policy as hate incidents, that is a really serious issue as it shows how Police Scotland has been captured by the SNP policy agenda.”
On November 18th last year, Mr Fraser shared a column written by Susan Dalgety for the Scotsman, which claimed the SNP Government’s non-binary equality action plan would lead to children being “damaged by this cult”.
Commenting on the shared post, Mr. Fraser said: “Choosing to identify as ‘non-binary’ is as valid as choosing to identify as a cat. I’m not sure governments should be spending time on action plans for either.” A member of the public reported the post to Police Scotland, claiming it constituted hatred against non-binary or transgender persons.
The Mail is not disclosing the name of the complainant, who is a trans activist.
Mr. Fraser said the officer who followed up determined that “although no crime had been committed and the police would conduct no further investigation, the perception of the complainant meant that my post would be recorded as a ‘hate incident’, and a reference number was provided to the complainant”.
The MSP only found out about the ‘hate incident’ because the same activist had complained to the ethical standards commissioner of the Scottish parliament about the tweet. The complaint was not taken forward but as a result of this process Mr. Fraser was alerted to the police report.
On December 21st, 2023, Mr. Fraser wrote to Chief Constable Jo Farrell asking for a meeting to discuss the matter. The local area commander for Perth and Kinross replied on March 11th this year.
He confirmed that a ‘hate incident’ had been recorded based on the victim’s perception, that there was no associated criminal investigation, but that the incident would remain on police records “in line with national guidance”.
Mr. Fraser called in the FSU to back a legal challenge on the basis that Police Scotland has “adopted a cavalier and disrespectful attitude towards me and my rights to freedom of expression and privacy, and the right to be informed of false and damaging information held on police records”.
The MSP argues that the filing of the hate incident breaches laws including the Human Rights Act.
Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression.
In his letter of complaint, Mr. Fraser said the police “acted on the basis of a policy that is disproportionate, discriminatory, intrusive, irrational and otherwise unlawful”. He said Police Scotland must ‘permanently delete its record of the ‘hate incident’ related to me” by April 5.
South of the Border, officers must not record anything that is “trivial, malicious or irrational”.
Toby Young, founder of the FSU, said Police Scotland “should focus on policing actual crimes, not non-crimes”.
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“Called his language “intentionally derogatory and disrespectful” and “not appropriate as a Clerk in Holy Orders”.
Maker’s Handbook, page 1, Genesis 1.27 ‘So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.’.
These words repeated by Jesus too.
The bishop is on dodgy ground. Roll on the Judgment.
I went to the psychiatrist and said “I identify as a dog. I bark and wag my tail” —–He replied “Lay on the couch for me”——–I said “Oh I am not allowed on the couch”
Honestly, the fact this fellow has made the news shows us all in a poor light. A couple of hundred years ago, one can imagine there might have been some eccentric parson in a remote area, Devon perhaps, who sometimes styled himself “Lady Amelia” and rode side-saddle to hounds, and you can imagine he might have found his way into a small locally printed pamphlet on “Curious Devon Characters”.
But he wouldn’t even have made the local press. That would have been full of important news, like stock prices at auction.
Arum
1 year ago
The main reason I left the C of E (many years ago) was that it seemed to behave like a big corporation (and one that had lost touch of its core ‘mission’). This is just more of the same. If Murphy worked for (say) BP and made the vlog in some way that clearly identified him as a BP employee, I’m sure the outcome would be the same. It’s just another UK institution that has failed, but it’s been failing for 30 years or more.
A person identifying themselves in some way or other these days trumps how other people may identify them. But ofcourse is that such a big surprise in wokeworld when ideology trumps common sense on just about everything? ——-You cannot say who stole your mobile phone. It looked like a woman but who can tell these days, when women may have a 6 o’clock shadow.
We’re building a society around the promotion of the destruction of the traditional family unit. It started with feminism and it ends with the acceptance of mental illness, which is what transgenderism is, as normal. Pit women against men, pit men and women against their own biology, pit children against their parents; destroy, destroy, destroy. What we are left with is no sense of belonging. No sense of belonging to any group other that the state. Rehashed communism has been on its way for a long time. It always hid as a bloke in a dress.
Yes, if I remember correctly Jesus said something about the importance of having an impeccable “blue file” to enter the kingdom of heaven.
I think it was in the gospel according to Matthew. Or maybe it was Luke.
Rowland P
1 year ago
Help and support the Heritage Party which champions traditional values. And because of this it is targeted by Antifa which puts them in a good light doesn’t it?
Geoff Cox
1 year ago
According to the linked Telegraph article, he calls himself a woman and a lesbian. So he still fancies women and also wants to dress like one. Isn’t that a transvestite? Confused – we are supposed to be.
godknowsimgood
1 year ago
‘He added: “You clearly recorded your vlog wearing clerical attire aware that this would give you both status and make it clear you were a Church of England priest”’
I’m unclear which particular Canon Law can be used against a clergyman who’s already left the CofE and calls out a transgender lesbian serving as an archdeacon. But then I’m a Baptist now.
Transgender lesbian is a nonsense term. That’s bloke who – for some reason only known to him – tries to appear like a woman in public but doesn’t want to extend to his private life, where he prefers to remain a bloke, ie, someone with a habit of putting his penis into real women. That’s self-evidently his own business. But he has no right to try to force others to partake in his cosplaying show.
This is my archdeaconry. I declined to go to the visitation for church wardens and lay sidespersons for the same reason – i’m not engaging with clown world.
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Well yes but isn’t “bloke” a purely biological term? How can you be biologically a bloke and not a bloke in other ways?
“Called his language “intentionally derogatory and disrespectful” and “not appropriate as a Clerk in Holy Orders”.
Maker’s Handbook, page 1, Genesis 1.27 ‘So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.’.
These words repeated by Jesus too.
The bishop is on dodgy ground. Roll on the Judgment.
To play devil’s advocate, no-one (in the Church of England at least) believes that bit any more though, do they?
““I’m self-evidently a woman, but I’m glad I was once a man.”
——–
No, you’re self-evidently a man who has no understanding of basic biological facts.
I went to the psychiatrist and said “I identify as a dog. I bark and wag my tail” —–He replied “Lay on the couch for me”——–I said “Oh I am not allowed on the couch”
It’s the way you tell ’em.
Please do not mis-species me. ——–ruff ruff ruff
Honestly, the fact this fellow has made the news shows us all in a poor light. A couple of hundred years ago, one can imagine there might have been some eccentric parson in a remote area, Devon perhaps, who sometimes styled himself “Lady Amelia” and rode side-saddle to hounds, and you can imagine he might have found his way into a small locally printed pamphlet on “Curious Devon Characters”.
But he wouldn’t even have made the local press. That would have been full of important news, like stock prices at auction.
The main reason I left the C of E (many years ago) was that it seemed to behave like a big corporation (and one that had lost touch of its core ‘mission’). This is just more of the same. If Murphy worked for (say) BP and made the vlog in some way that clearly identified him as a BP employee, I’m sure the outcome would be the same. It’s just another UK institution that has failed, but it’s been failing for 30 years or more.
There are many ways of pursuing a fulfilling spiritual life.
I don’t think the C of E is much help with that these days.
“There are many ways of pursuing a fulfilling spiritual life”
Hear, hear!
Taking a long, hard look in the mirror is the best place to start. I haven’t yet progressed past that stage
The light comes from self-awareness and humility.
But we are still right and they’re all still wrong about ThePandemic™, though!
A person identifying themselves in some way or other these days trumps how other people may identify them. But ofcourse is that such a big surprise in wokeworld when ideology trumps common sense on just about everything? ——-You cannot say who stole your mobile phone. It looked like a woman but who can tell these days, when women may have a 6 o’clock shadow.
We’re building a society around the promotion of the destruction of the traditional family unit. It started with feminism and it ends with the acceptance of mental illness, which is what transgenderism is, as normal. Pit women against men, pit men and women against their own biology, pit children against their parents; destroy, destroy, destroy. What we are left with is no sense of belonging. No sense of belonging to any group other that the state. Rehashed communism has been on its way for a long time. It always hid as a bloke in a dress.
Boom
Yes, if I remember correctly Jesus said something about the importance of having an impeccable “blue file” to enter the kingdom of heaven.
I think it was in the gospel according to Matthew. Or maybe it was Luke.
Help and support the Heritage Party which champions traditional values. And because of this it is targeted by Antifa which puts them in a good light doesn’t it?
According to the linked Telegraph article, he calls himself a woman and a lesbian. So he still fancies women and also wants to dress like one. Isn’t that a transvestite? Confused – we are supposed to be.
‘He added: “You clearly recorded your vlog wearing clerical attire aware that this would give you both status and make it clear you were a Church of England priest”’
So he’s being accused of honesty.
I’m unclear which particular Canon Law can be used against a clergyman who’s already left the CofE and calls out a transgender lesbian serving as an archdeacon. But then I’m a Baptist now.
Transgender lesbian is a nonsense term. That’s bloke who – for some reason only known to him – tries to appear like a woman in public but doesn’t want to extend to his private life, where he prefers to remain a bloke, ie, someone with a habit of putting his penis into real women. That’s self-evidently his own business. But he has no right to try to force others to partake in his cosplaying show.
This is my archdeaconry. I declined to go to the visitation for church wardens and lay sidespersons for the same reason – i’m not engaging with clown world.
I’d say, with all due respect, learn to juggle, or leave!
Welby is clearly Satan’s acolyte. I attend church every week. The Church of England will undoubtedly die but Christianity will NEVER die.
Jesus said “I tell you the truth”. Rev Murphy was telling the truth.
Revd Mann’s a man, he probably should have changed his name as well as his pronouns!!