Is it illegal to tell people they are fat?

[Giraffe]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34969424

Police are looking into this apparently. Can't actually see how this is illegal though. Harassment maybe? But if a one off on an individual basis I doubt that would stand up.

 

[Frampler]

I think they'll be looking at Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.

 

[StonehamPark]

Therefore it would be illegal to call someone 'skinny' or 'slim' surely?

Edit: Just read the article. The card given out is way OTT, it should be educational rather than hateful and abusive.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

sticks and stones ....

Might be slanderous if they are NOT fat?
Will need a definition of fat [BMI maybe?]
And probably a witness to make it stick in court.

If someone calls you fat, and you are. C'est la vie?

 

[Dr Q]

If I have been handed one (being a little on the portly side), the person handing it out would be looking for a new set of teeth!

 

[sydney]

i have been kicked off numerous chat sites on face book for slagging off fat ****kaz.....perfftt....it seems that being obese is the norm these days......fat fukkaz...

 

[Easy 10]

Its not just telling people they are fat though is it. Its a rant that ends up in outright abuse.

I don't know what type of person you'd have to be to get off on actually giving someone a card like that, but "complete arsehat" springs to mind.

 

[pasty]

If I have been handed one (being a little on the portly side), the person handing it out would be looking for a new set of teeth!

This. Especially if, as reported, it was on the underground as I am rarely in the best of moods commuting anyway.

 

[Ernest]

I'm HANDING out some on SATURDAY at the AMEX

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

There is really no excuse for this sort of rudeness.

 

[dazzer6666]

Hope the f*****g morons handing out those things know what impact they are likely to have on, for example, people suffering from eating disorders. Public shaming and abuse/harassment/bullying isn't acceptable.

 

[The Kid Frankie]

Notice the only people being handed these are women. Says it all about the cowards printing em.

 

[Norman Potting]

Perhaps they could be given a card in return saying "....and you are ingnorant and rude but I can always diet".

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

Seeing the headline I had hoped it might have been a prank that went a little too far but, nope, turns out that those doing it were just out to cause a little pain to people.

How very manly of them (because you just know it's a couple of younger blokes who have yet to meet/talk to a lady).

 

[Giraffe]

That said is being fat any different from smoking?

Both are drains on the NHS.

 

[tiberious]

More section 4a as directed against an individual.. nothing to do with weight.. on a side note they were discussing disability hate crime on the news ..a lady with facial disfigurement was told she was ugly.. she stated it was a hate crime but is it different from a non disfigured female being told she is ugly ? Also the definition of hate crime is anybody percieves it to be because of race gender disability etc there does not have to be any proof that it is because of it.. for example if some one said i was fat.. (im just big boned ) and i percived it as a hate crime it has to be recorded as one..ive used fat as a simple example