Sexist remarks and wolf-whistles could become criminal offences (in UK: now a Limbaugh ban?)

[alp227]

The Guardian reports:

Salacious whistles and sexist comments may fall foul of new laws against sexual harassment to which Britain is signing up, the prime minister will announce on Thursday.

The pledge to criminalise "verbal, non-verbal or physical" sexual harassment is one of the commitments in the Council of Europe's convention on violence against women, which David Cameron will commit to signing at a special event to mark International Women's Day.

Among the pledges in the convention, which has already been signed by 18 countries including Germany, France and Ukraine, is one to pass legislation or other measures to criminalise or impose other sanctions for "unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment".

Hmm, given that Michael Savage is already banned from entering the UK due to his incendiary bigotry on his radio show thus violating the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 (a recent example), I wonder if Rush is next! (Look up the name Sandra Fluke if you're not sure why I mentioned Limbaugh.)

[orwell]

1. How's this going to fly in Italy? n/t

[tabatha]

3. Or France? Or Austria?

Countries where this was experienced at a young age - Italy (worst), France (not good), Austria (not good).

[saras]

2. Nice, but...

"with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment"

So sexual remarks ONLY are excluded. If you apply this across the board, Poof! No more conservatives.

it would be a better law if they simply left out the four words "of a sexual nature".

Either that or they should explicitly state which kinds of "intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment" are acceptable. Because it's far too vague now - all you have to do is demonstrate that your intentions weren't sexual, and you're free.

[chrisa]

4. I don't think we should ever criminalize words just because they're unkind or insulting.

I agree that stalking should be illegal, obviously though (but was it already illegal in the UK?).

I can't tell if the story is being sensationalist with the headline. That seems a bit extreme (jerk wolf-whistles, and gets arrested?).

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Possibility sensationalist

The 2 relevant quotes in the article are:

Former attorney general Baroness Scotland, who worked on the convention for four years under the Labour government, said the clause on sexual harassment was not intended to cover less serious incidents such as wolf-whistling and public teasing. However, campaigners on the issue said the convention was "what we've been trying to get for years".

Julia Gray, founder of the London branch of US movement Hollaback, dedicated to getting rid of street harassment, said: "The way we see it is if you want to tackle it you tackle all of it – you say no to all forms of unwanted sexual harassment; that includes wolf-whistling, comments, everything."

I'd tend to think that Baroness Scotland is more likely to know what would be in a law that the campaigner who says what she wants in it.

There's a current law on harrassment: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/40/contents

From the Guardian article of a few days ago, the current charge used is "putting a person in fear of violence" (section 4 of the act). They want to revise the laws, I think.

[Zalatix]

5. Anyone want to bet against me when I say this law will be enforced QUITE whimsically?

[MrSlayer]

6. Criminalizing speech is a terrible idea.

Touching someone is one thing, charging someone with a crime for whistling or saying something sounds very fascist to me.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. There's nothing in the convention, or the body of the article, about 'sexist'

The convention: https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1772191

Remember that not all sexist remarks are &quot verbal) conduct of a sexual nature". There are plenty of stereotypes about women that aren't about sex.

I suspect that occasional wolf whistles wouldn't rise to the level of "creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment", unless there's a pattern. It'll depend on teh wording used in any British law, though.