Magistrates are banned from using the terms ‘policeman’ and ‘chairman’ and are told to avoid divisive umbrella terms in document which free speech campaigners say is being peddled by ‘woke warriors’
- The Magistrates Association has ordered its 28,000 members to avoid the terms
Magistrates have been banned by their industry body from using words such as ‘policemen’ and ‘chairman’.
The Magistrates Association ordered its 28,000 members to avoid umbrella terms like ‘black, Asian or minority ethnic groups’, which can be ‘unintentionally divisive’.
They were also encouraged to ‘describe someone’s sexual orientation in the terms they suggest’.
The 29-page document, published in September last year, has sparked a backlash among free speech campaigners, who say it is being peddled by ‘woke warriors’.
Toby Young, Director of the Free Speech Union, said: ‘People are sick to the back teeth of this obsession with policing people’s speech.
Magistrates have been banned from using the terms ‘policeman’ and ‘fireman’ by their industry body
A close-up of the statue of Lady Justice atop the Old Bailey in London
‘Do these woke warriors really think they’ll dismantle the patriarchy if people start referring to policemen as police officers?
‘The Magistrates Association should be focusing on getting through the backlog of cases and making sure anti-social behaviour is properly punished.’
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The style guide, issued to staff in England and Wales, tells them to avoid using terms that might ’cause upset’.
They include using ‘died by suicide’ instead of ‘committed suicide’ or ‘taken their own life’.
Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Magistrates Association, said he wants the guide to ‘be part of everyone’s working day’.
He wrote in the foreword: ‘It is unfinished because as new ideas and concepts develop, and as language evolves, we will need to edit and add to it.
‘It is a living, organic document that will change and grow over time. There will be parts that you don’t agree with. Indeed, there may be advice here that goes against the things you were taught at school and hold dear.’
He added: ‘There are plenty of hotly contested issues such as when to use the Oxford comma or whether you can start a sentence with a conjunction.
‘The point is that we all sublimate our own preferences and practices to one style, adopted by all, so that we look and sound like one organisation, speaking with one voice.’
Toby Young (pictured), director of the Free Speech Union branded the move a decision by ‘woke warriors’
The Magistrates Association said it has no power to issue formal guidance to members, adding that the advice is not a formal policy to be used in court.
Responding to the criticism, Mr Franklin said: ‘Long gone are the days when magistrates were exclusively male, white and over 60.
‘We are proud that the magistracy is now the most diverse part of the judiciary, with magistrates drawn from all sections of society and backgrounds.
‘It means that when magistrates sit in court, they bring a wide range of life experiences to their work.
‘We make no apology for encouraging the use of inclusive language in our style guide – a resource that we, like many other organisations, have available to our staff and volunteers to ensure consistent use of the English language.’
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