Thread by @WeAreFairCop

We were interested to know the identities of those police officers responsible for the @LGBTpoliceuk account given its recent social media output. @CollegeofPolice told us they didn’t know - ask the forces. So we did.

They don’t know.

So we now have a secret and unaccountable group of senior police officers who will threaten to ‘report’ citizens for the exercise of their protected political speech.

Remember the response to our follower who complained?

So no one knows who these people are. No one will hold them to account. They operate with the sanction of the police. They threaten to ‘report’ us. To whom? For what? What consequences? They won’t say.

The ‘disinhibition effect’ of anonymity on social media is well known and has dangerous consequences - it allows people to say things they would never say to a real person in front of them. That’s why it’s so important to have transparency and accountability from these groups.

Many members of our group have to remain anonymous because of the likely reprisals that will follow if they aren’t. But they aren’t threatening to ‘report’ people from an account affiliated to and apparently backed by the police.

We think this is a very serious matter and we won’t let it drop.

We haven’t let it drop. Will update you as we go. This isn’t right.