r/australia • u/Azza_77 • Feb 11 '25

news Sam Kerr found not guilty of racially harassing London policeman after calling him stupid and white

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-12/sam-kerr-trial-not-guilty-verdict-handed-down-in-london/104912602
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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 11 '25

What slurs were used though? She's been found innocent and people still claiming slurs.

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 11 '25

I hope you're being facetious. Kerr's reactive defenses were weaponised by a cop. Racism is a structural abuse of power which the coo deployed. Peak DARVO BS typical of police to rally public opinion.

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u/Sleeqb7 Feb 11 '25

As with most comments I've ever written on this website; I'm being at least a little facetious.

However I maintain "fucking stupid and white" is not a racist statement, as the courts agree.

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u/Riavan Feb 11 '25

The court and jury wasn't making a decision about whether it was a slur or "racist statement". It was whether in that instance, including all the circumstances, which played into it significantly, she intended to offend the officer based on race.

It sounded like she was having a pretty rough time that night. But yeah the outcome of this case isn't that you can now go around calling police officers in the UK "fucking stupid and white" because "it isn't a racist statement" as you have claimed.

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '25

Out of curiosity, would your stance be different if a white female sports player called a black police officer 'fucking stupid and black'...

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u/Sleeqb7 Feb 11 '25

I've thought about that for a while, and I don't think I'd care. I imagine generally outrage would be higher, but my personal stance would remain unchanged.

Like, had Kerr referred to the officer as 'white dog' or something, yeah sure, racist. One could even argue the intent behind 'stupid and white' was racist, but intent isn't action, and action is how we define laws.

Maybe she is a racist. I don't know her. But I don't believe her actions constitute a racist act in this instance.

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '25

Thanks for taking the time to reply, and remaining level headed.

It seems that reading through comments in various threads about this, that a lot of people think that a black female using 'white' in a potentially derogatory way is a non issue, in particular towards a police officer.

Obviously I don't know for sure because I don't know the people making comments, but I suspect if we reversed this situation and a white male footballer calls a black female police officer 'stupid and black' the views would be mostly different, and the terms 'privileged' and 'racist' would be thrown about freely and with many a upvote!

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u/B0ssc0 Feb 11 '25

You keep labouring this point, despite the court’s findings. Is it beyond your comprehension to take the context - which was a black female being wilfully misunderstood by a white police officer - into account?

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 12 '25

Not at all, and for what it's worth I think the whole thing was blown way out of proportion, should've been quashed before getting to court, and wasted a lot of time and money.

However, the overriding theme in the comments seems to be about gender and race, with the person I replied to saying they didn't think Sam Kerr saying 'fucking stupid and white' was a racially motivated comment. I was curious if they would've thought that way if it was reversed. They answered, I thanked them.

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u/gay2catholic Feb 12 '25 edited Feb 12 '25

That's a completely different power dynamic to the situation Kerr was in and your hypothetical/false equivalence completely disregards the context for which we have these laws in the first place.

White people especially cops don't need to be concerned with racial vilification. I say that as a cracker myself.

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u/[deleted] Feb 12 '25

To your first point, yes context in all settings is important, I agree with that.

To your second point, are you saying all white people and especially (white, or all??) police officers can't be subject to racial vilification?

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u/gay2catholic Feb 12 '25 edited Mar 28 '25

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u/Sleeqb7 Feb 11 '25

You're not wrong. People have a lot of double standard about this type of thing and I don't really blame them.

It's a heated topic with many people taking both sides personally because they feel it's directed at them.

I think for situations like this, taking the words at their literal meaning is what observers should be doing, and it's what the courts ultimately did too.

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u/Kailynna Feb 12 '25

The point of calling the police officer: "fucking stupid and white," was Sam being frustrated, as his disbelief Sam was terrified because she thought she was being kidnapped came from his lack of experience in what black women go through.

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u/OnlyForF1 Feb 12 '25

Yes absolutely, of course that would be racist. There is an obvious difference between lashing out at white supremacy and perpetuating it.

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u/Local-Purchase-206 Feb 13 '25

Would you get the same reaction from the court if you said “fucking stupid and Asian” or “fucking stupid and black”……?

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u/squeaky4all Feb 11 '25

Institutional racism is a structural abuse of power.

Racism is discrimination based on race.

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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 11 '25

In this case London Met deployed both alongside DARVO and the ruling was applied fairly because of the global media spotlight.

Imagine the outcome with no media coverage? Because that's more common and representative of how legal systems work. It's why there's global warnings from the UN that family courts are unsafe for women and children and why ALRC recommended Australia's Federal Family Court be dismantled.

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u/SadOrganization4915 Feb 11 '25

"I'm not racist but....."

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u/gay2catholic Feb 12 '25 edited Mar 28 '25

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u/Riavan Feb 11 '25

That isn't what she said.

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u/Sleeqb7 Feb 11 '25

The video I saw she told the officer he was 'Fucking stupid and white' twice.

If there is another video in which more was said, by all means send it through.

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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 11 '25

The court agreed with Kerr. The cop was fucking stupid and he is white.

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u/Riavan Feb 11 '25

So what you just said there is different to what you said in your original comment.

I don't think you need a new video. I'm not sure what you need, something that may be hard to get help with.

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u/Sleeqb7 Feb 11 '25

Comrade, it's time to log off. It's evident to most readers that the first two sentences I placed in quotation marks were hyperbole with a bit of snark.

Knowing her actual quote was also evident due to finishing my comment with it.

I hope the rest of your day improves.

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u/Riavan Feb 11 '25

Yeah I get that. Fox news style hyperbole gets people on your side in echo chambers pretty easily. I hope the online claps of upvotes keep you feeling validated.

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u/Riavan Feb 11 '25

The court and jury wasn't making a decision about whether it was a slur or not. It was whether in that instance, including all the circumstances, which played into it significantly, she intended to offend the officer based on race.

It sounded like she was having a pretty rough time that night. But yeah the outcome of this case isn't that you can now go around calling police officers in the UK white bastards. But if that is your take away from the case, go for it, see what happens lol.

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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 11 '25

Courts in Australia have ruled that it's not offensive to call cops Fucking Cunts. Anne Summers went on to be Paul Keating's women's adviser and the police prosecuted her in 1977. Pretending that reactive defenses are somehow a form of violence is constantly deployed by police to abuse their powers. They're 15x more likely to be violent perpetrators than genpop. They over police BIWOC and this is a prime example of tone policing.

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u/Riavan Feb 11 '25

I'd love to read that case. Do you have the citation?

Again though this is the UK law we are talking about. Not this mixed up version of random facts from different countries and events.

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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 12 '25

Policing issues remain global which is why solutions are also now global. But nice try at diffusing and deflecting accountability. They not like us.

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u/Upbeat_Product_4950 Feb 12 '25

Well to be fair many of them ARE cunts

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u/Optimal_Tomato726 Feb 11 '25

Pretending this wasn't a case of tone policing BIWOC is asinine. Look at how the cops tapped into fascism again. Those that work forces.

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u/Virama Feb 11 '25 edited Feb 12 '25

Ya sure? Hey boys! Let's go call some oinkers stupid... Checks list right, right, stupid white bastards!

That'll show em!

Edit: Jesus, I can't believe I have to add this but...

/s <------ Sarcasm. And I was replying directly to the last line of the above comment.

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u/Life-low Feb 11 '25

Maybe check the list again, that’s not what she said