Comedian Jonathan May-Bowles admitted assault and causing harassment, alarm or distress, when he appeared before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. Why was he charged with such serious criminal offences, when all he tried to do was throw a plate of shaving cream at Rupert Murdoch? The charges are all the more outrageous because, as the Mirror reported ( http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2011/07/29/comedian-admits-murdoch-foam-attack-115875-23305522/) “the prosecutor added that Mr Murdoch did not support the charge of assault.”! And why wasn’t Murdoch’s wife Wendy charged with assault for slapping May-Bowles hard on the head? Surely her use of violence was disproportionate?

Threats, intimidation and physical attacks on persons are commonplace, and frequently dismissed by police as ‘mere antisocial behaviour, not crime’. (According to Sir Denis O'Connor, chief inspector of constabulary in a report issued in March 2010). Moreover, if people make any attempt to defend themselves, they are often charged with a criminal offence by the police. However, VIPs and police are treated differently from ordinary people. When a single egg hit Baroness Warsi, Tory party Chairman, the offender was charged with causing intentional alarm and distress & received a six week prison sentence. People have been charged with assault for just spitting at a police officer.

Several teenagers have committed suicide after being subjected to cyber bullying. In these cases, the police have said that no actual crimes were committed. Yet when a Tory local councillor place an online comment about stoning Independent columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, he was arrested and charged with sending an offensive electronic communication. She herself apparently did not support the charge in this case, and so there was no prosecution.

Once you become aware of this issue, you can see that it happens all the time. These double standards should be ended. Crimes of intimidation and violence should not be tolerated against anyone. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any organisation, including the mainstream media, interested in this issue.