Being a bitch is one thing, but being racially abusive in public and disturbing the peace is another. I'm glad she got arrested. She probably won't get much of a punishment but she deserves a slap on the wrist.

I don't really see the difference. From a legal standpoint why should it matter whether she was being racially abusive or simply abusive in a non-racist way? I could understand kicking her off the train but arresting her seems extreme and kind of a pointless waste of resources.

By being racially abusive like that she is being in breach of the UK's Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, which applies to racism as well as religious discrimination.

www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN03768.pdf

I don't know too much about the UK's laws but it's not like she's going to be put away for a few years, she will probably have to pay a hefty fine or do community service or something. It's not like she has freedom of speech here, if a member of this forum was to suddenly be racially abusive as opposed to simply abusive to other members you would have to take more serious action wouldn't you?

I understand that's the law there but I was questioning the reasoning behind such a law.

I don't know. Maybe. But the analogy doesn't really hold up since we wouldn't really be wasting any resources to do so.

To simply protect those from ethnic or different religious backgrounds from having to tolerate such abuse and hatred from the likes of this woman or any sort of discrimination. Providing they are legally allowed to live in the UK they should have some sort of protection to ensure equality.

I don't see how laws like that actually achieve that purpose though. I really doubt arresting this woman is going to make her any less racist. All it does is turn the problem of racism into something nobody talks about, which only serves to breed far more insidious forms.

I'm not sure I see how ignoring her is any more effective than punishing her then. Are you saying the same results would be achieved by waving it off, but without spending whatever resources?

It serves to quiet people like her and there are a lot more like her than people are willing to admit.

Yeah, or they might have their footman go fisticuffs with you and cast aspersions about your parentage.

"your grandmother smell of elderberries
and I fart in your general direction"?

(from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail")