Site takes no action over hate posts against UK politicians including Kemi Badenoch, Shabana Mahmood and Zia Yusuf

X has refused to take down dozens of social media posts reported as “hate, abuse or harassment” in which prominent UK politicians, including Kemi Badenoch, have been racially abused.

In May, researchers from the social inclusion thinktank British Future reported 30 posts from this year in which the Conservative party leader was called the N-word. In each case the researchers used the platform’s “hate, abuse or harassment” reporting option. X refused to act in the majority of cases, despite repeated requests.

The Guardian understands X routinely takes action only when posts are reported to it as illegal under the UK’s Online Safety Act. In those cases, it restricts visibility in the UK, leaving the post unrestricted in other jurisdictions.

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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      55 minutes ago

      I’m pretty sure it is the shortened slur for Pakistanis that gets used for any person who looks vaguely like they might be from that region, including Indians (who mostly don’t enjoy being confused with their regional neighbors/hated enemies).

  • laranis@lemmy.zip
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    5 hours ago

    First thought was p-word could be “pajeet”, but comments below say it is likely “paki”. Can someone from UK clarify?

  • pHr34kY@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    It’s only acceptable to shorten names of wealthy, white nationalities like Brits, Aussies and Swedes.

    Pakistan and Nigeria don’t want an invitation to this club.

    • DarkCloud@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Paki, usually yelled at people’s faces like “Get out of my country you fucking Paki scum” before trashing someone’s corner shop. Definitely a racist slur due to how the British losers use it. Despite appearing like shorthand it’s become a slur.

    • Kazel@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      7 hours ago

      it’s also kinda childish. the word is called “Nigga”. just don’t use it and get over it

    • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      12 hours ago

      Pussy? P-eter? P-o-ta-to? P-ot-a-soup? P-at-a-ba-da…ding-dong? I have literally no idea. People are saying it’s a slur and I’m glad I don’t know. If you respond to this with what it is, I’m blocking you, I really don’t want to know or propagate more slurs and racism in this world. Eradicate all Nazi scum.

      • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        Nah, it’s a regional racial slur common in the UK, Paki. I’d compare it to how people outside of the UK don’t realize it, but spaz is a heavy ableist slur over there too.

        • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
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          18 hours ago

          The word is used as a racial slur in Canada too (unfortunately). I haven’t really heard it used in ages but that could just be from moving out of my small town and into a city

          • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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            17 hours ago

            I remember my friend using it here in NJ directed at a kid in our class who was from Pakistan which I found pretty odd as my buddy’s family is from Egypt. I’d expect a little solidarity but I guess middle school is not a great time. It’s definitely not very common here though.

  • TrackinDaKraken@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    This is why it’s stupid to use “n-word” and, in this case “p-word”, in a news article reporting what was said. The words, in the context of quoting another, should be spelled out, to present the full impact of the slur. The words are not offensive, they’re just words, it’s the context that gives them weight and meaning. I don’t know what the “p-word” is, and I’ve learned nothing from this article about it. I can’t avoid using a slur, or even recognizing a word as a slur, if I don’t know what it is.

    I’ve learned, however, in social media sites, I can’t spell out the word, lest I be auto-banned from entire communities simply for stringing together those letters in that order, regardless of context. Bots don’t understand context, they just swing the ban hammer if they see the word.

    Those who use slurs in hateful ways should NOT be given the consideration of sanitizing a word they said, in news reports quoting them. They should be quoted in full.

    • ElderReflections@fedia.io
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      19 hours ago

      I’ve never had an issue with reading the n-word, listening to NWA or watching Django Unchained. I do take issue with being told I “should go back to Jamaica”, but that doesn’t need sanitizing

    • Arcanepotato@crazypeople.online
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      19 hours ago

      Not spelling out the word isn’t about protecting the people who used it, it’s about sparing the people targeted by the slur from having to read it.

      Referring to a word vs using it is the context.

      • DarkCloud@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        If you don’t discuss these things openly you’re helping hide them. I assure you people from Pakistan know the word, and aren’t fragile. Better to openly discuss racism if you want a culture to deal with it, rather than preserve it.

        Once the slur is discussed people can discuss how things got this way, rather than sneaking around on egg shells using hushed tones.

          • DarkCloud@lemmy.world
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            15 hours ago

            Oh, are we going to go down the “Jews can’t be antisemitic” slide now?

            A cultural problem needs multiple cultural influences to fix it. You can’t balkanize or ghettoize it, then walk away and say “well, that’s a problem for just those people, and their community to discuss”. All of a culture has to be against racism to make an antiracist culture.

            Also, you’re not the gestapo of standpoint epistemology… And races themselves aren’t unified in opinions. Sometimes there’s a general unity, but because opinions do vary between individuals and from race to race… And because people of ANY race can be racist to ANY race (including their own) - we have to operate as a whole culture.

            “What race are you to be talking about this?” whilst perhaps well meaning, may also be a kind of defensive use of racialization (standpoint epistemology).

            When I say things like Pakistanis aren’t fragile to reading a word that’s not being said with offensive intentions (they do already know these slurs) I say that because I don’t believe anyone is so fragile that explaining the usage of a slur they already know is harmful.

            …and if it is, they should take time away from such discussions to deal with that trauma, because like I say, ultimately you need a whole society to have healthy and mature attitudes towards being and becoming anti-racist.

            Tell me your race so that I - your moral superior can determine your qualifications, moral standing, and rights on the issue.

            May actually be:

            I want to know how much this conversation could hurt my reputation.

            Which I understand, but we have to move past these individual fears and problems if we’re going to solve the systemic cultural whole. Part of which is having and spreading THIS type of discussion to other people from an antiracist perspective, so thank you for helping and participating in that.

              • DarkCloud@lemmy.world
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                10 hours ago

                Tarnation, and tar baby. I wouldn’t use them, not after that discussion.

                In historical context they can be read as not racist, but I wouldn’t use them personally unless I’d already established an old timey southern character/context (which isn’t what we were up to just then).

  • darkdemize@sh.itjust.works
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    20 hours ago

    I know what they’re referring to by N-word, but wtf is the P-word? I skimmed the article and still couldn’t figure it out.

  • Leraje@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    18 hours ago

    The ‘p’ word is a shortening of the word ‘Pakistani’ to the first four letters and is very much used abusively. When people came to the UK from Asia - India, Bangladesh and Pakistan mostly - starting in the 1950/60’s, the usual assortment of racist/fascist scum, being both hateful cunts and also deeply stupid, assumed anyone who looked Asian was Pakistani and so the p-word became a term of racial abuse for literally anyone who might appear to be from that part of Asia or have that heritage.

  • CovfefeKills@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    Paki is the “P-word”.

    Which by itself doesn’t seem like a big deal but apparently it is used as a derogatory term. Seems like a bitch move by pakistanis to try coop the weight of the n-word tho.

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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      34 minutes ago

      It is extremely derogatory and hateful in the UK and has many decades of violence and discrimination behind it. Seems like a bitch move by you to try to minimize the impact of societal hatred and violence towards a group of people purely because of the color of their skin. You used the word “apparently,” which means you don’t really know what you are talking about, but then you go and judge people as being bitches for feeling extremely hurt for being treated as second class citizens and having violence perpetrated on them simply for the color of their skin.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      It sounds like you’re not from the UK; there’s a lot of violent hate towards South Asians there. People have had their houses burned down while they’re called this very slur just this past week.

      • CovfefeKills@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        This past week? Well that changes everything then. It’s paki not p-word. Take this shit seriously it isn’t to be thrown around.