“Giving A Kiss Without Consent Is Rape” – Police

Police Service of Northern Ireland has been outed on social media following a tweet by them which read “If you bump into that special someone under the mistletoe tonight, remember that without consent it is rape #SeasonsGreetings”, was posted to its 159,000 followers.

The tweet apparently drew criticism on Saturday, with hundreds mocking the force for ‘trivializing’ rape.

Here are some comments from the force’s followers:

However the Police Force then pulled down the tweet after they were contacted by MailOnline. In a new message, posted this morning, the PSNI wrote:

    “We posted a message on Twitter yesterday that some may have taken out of context but the message remains the same; when you are out socialising over the Christmas period, please remember without consent it is rape.”

This however, is not the first time PSNI has faced a backlash for social media postings, about sexual violence.

In March the Newry and Mourne division posted an image of a distressed woman under the caption ‘without consent it is rape’ and a message warning people not to ‘overindulge’.