A backlash against Essex Police has emerged by Elon Muskthe owner of X, and senior British politicians. In a post on
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said: “This is extremely Orwellian. I am absolutely shocked that Allison and others like her have to live in fear for months without ever hearing what was said to them. People should be concerned. We are very much in the realm of a thought crime here, where the accusers are called ‘victims’.”
Boris Johnson also criticized the force, calling its behavior ‘appalling’ and saying the police were being ‘forced to behave like a woke Securitate’.
Last year, Suella Braverman, then the Minister of the Interiortold police to record hate incidents below the criminal threshold only if there was a serious risk of harm and not just because someone was offended.
She said: “We have been clear that officers must always put freedom of expression first when recording so-called non-crime incidents.”
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has committed to making reporting easier non-criminal hate incidents related to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Last week a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Home Office is looking at how this can be done while balancing the fundamental right to freedom of expression, and ensuring that the police can spend their time dealing with the issues that matter most to our communities. ”
Essex Police were contacted for comment.