Maya Forstater

The law is the easy bit. Stickering and writing on public property like this is criminal damage, but that is unrelated to the message. Is the public message itself, which some find offensive and may be seen as "hateful" a crime? /3

The possible offence is s 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. That section requires words that are "threatening or abusive." The word "insulting" has been deleted, and so "abusive" does not include that. Is this abusive? I think not. So no crime as a matter of the law. /4

Should it be criminal? If we think, as utilitarians do, that the law is there to maximise something (happiness, preferences, something else) then it looks plausible that we should criminalise this. Perhaps the world would be happier overall if we banned such public words. /5

if we think, as some moralists do, that law should in some way track morality, and seek to make us conform to our good reasons for action, then again we might want to criminalise this. The words are calculated to offend a group that understands them, for no good purpose. /6

So, if the question were "Is posting such offensive messages a good way to behave?" the answer is no. It is a very bad way to behave, and the people doing it should stop doing so. but I don't think such moral reasoning is enough to justify criminalisation. /7

Nobodies ability to live their life as they choose is set back by these words. Offence and upset are insufficient reasons to merit criminalisation. It is very unfortunate that the UK police seem to think they are in the business of making us be good. /end

Nice thread. But i think u are missing that they were put up for good reason. To make a political argument (This one: https://twitter.com/AlessandraAster/status/1172421643768979456 …) not mindlessly to amuse or offend. i.e. is it offensive for a prison, a sports body, a doctor etc... to state that women are female?

Of course that doesn't matter. My claim is that this is lawful, and ought to be, regardless of whether its sole purpose is to mindlessly offend.