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PaperclipPerfector  7d ago (text post)   23106 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of December 8, 2025

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I have a non-rhetorical question:

Suppose that

(1) a person in the UK posts an anti-immigration statement on social media, something like "I'm sick and tired of our government letting in people from third-world sh*tholes, they tend to commit a lot of crime, consume lots of welfare benefits, and don't add much of value to the country."; and

(2) another person complains about this post to the local authorities.

What is likely to happen?

And by the way, as an American I don't object to non-Americans commenting on our politics provided they make it clear that they are outsiders.

Based on what I read in the newspapers lately:

  • If that literal tweet were reported to the police, probably nothing.
  • If reported to their employer, maybe they would be disciplined or fired, depending on their job.
  • If the tweet were different and contained a slur or a call to action, then arrested, especially if the authorities are feeling sensitive. For example, an ex-Royal Marine was arrested and held for 20 days in jail for making a video two days after the knife murder of three little girls by Axel Rudakabana:

He told GB News that his duty solicitor informed him he “would have been fine” had he said the same thing a few months prior.

The revelation left him exasperated as he questioned “what’s the difference?” because the laws surrounding free speech had not changed.

The 46-year-old posted the 12-minute video in which he said illegal immigrants have “the numbers to take over” the country.

He also used the words “scumbags” and “psychopaths” and warned the country was “under attack”.

Michael said on GB News that words had been scrutinised in isolation and the targets for his criticism had been Rudakubana and “illegal, unchecked or radicalised immigrants”.

He was found 'not guilty' by a jury after 17 minutes but he was up on terror charges with a maximum sentence of 7 years.

A nurse who tweeted that she didn't care if people burned down the asylum hotels was advised to plead guilty and got several years in jail.

I agree with @Crowstep:

for most people, most of the time, the state is nothing to be feared. But that's also true in literal dictatorships.

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