Part 3/14:
What began as a seemingly minor matter escalated rapidly. The police, invoking modern "hate incident" policies, portrayed the speaker as a dangerous man whose opinions could lead to violence, even suggesting that a retweeted limerick was a step toward genocide if left unchecked. The police argued that any perceived hate in speech is sufficient to record a non-crime hate incident, which would stay on file for six years and be accessible to future employers.
Crucially, the police officer admitted he was there to "check the thinker’s mind," echoing Orwellian language from 1984, prompting bitterness and a realization of how far civil liberties are being eroded under the guise of protecting minority groups.