Police ‘order driver to remove “B******s to Brexit” sticker from car’
Pro-EU campaigners claim officer pulled them over on M25 and told them slogan was ‘public order offence’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police are investigating claims two pro-EU campaigners were pulled over and told to remove a “Bollocks to Brexit” sticker from their car.
Passenger Peter Cook posted a video on Twitter claiming that officers had “bullied” the campaigners into removing the slogan from their Mini Cooper on the M25 near Brentwood on Sunday afternoon.
Sharing footage of the incident on social media, campaign group Bollocks to Brexit said: “Essex Police bullied us into removing ‘Bollocks’ from our car ... I am calling the Police Complaints Commission.”
Mr Cook claimed a police officer said the slogan was a “public order offence” and that he felt “totally unsafe” after being pulled over on a hard shoulder, Sky News reports.
Essex police are now investigating the incident. However, they have not yet confirmed whether displaying a “Bollocks to Brexit” sign constitutes a public order offence.
A spokesperson for the police force said: “We are trying to identify the officer from the video footage to establish the circumstances around what happened.
“In the meantime, we would encourage the driver to get in touch with us.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year, a passenger was put in a holding area at Gatwick Airport because he was wearing a “Bollocks to Brexit” badge.
The businessman was released after about 10 minutes but was left feeling “shaken” by the experience and reported the incident to the UK Border Force.
In November 1977, a court ruled that “bollocks” was not an obscene word after the manager of Virgin Records in Nottingham was arrested for refusing to remove the Sex Pistols album Never Mind The Bollocks from his shop window.
The manager was found not guilty after an expert witness, the head of English at Nottingham University, testified that the word was used in early versions of the Bible to mean “testicles”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments