"We want the offenders who hate, hurt and harm others to know the Met will do everything in its power to find them out and put a stop to their crime," said Commander Cressida Dick, director of the Diversity Directorate in London, England. BBC News also reports the disturbing fact that "most have been arrested on suspicion of making racist threats and of homophobic harassment."

While the act of making threats, harrassment, and intimidation is a crime, I am very skeptical. Where is the evidence of actual crimes? This appears to be some sort of modern-day 'red scare'. Residents of London have been encouraged by posters all over town to turn in their neighbors, or 'name names'. What's to stop people from turning in those that they feel are racist, homophobic, or just mean, but have committed no crime?

I agree that real crimes should be punished, but hate is not a crime. If it was, you'd have to arrest all the Cowboy fans at a Redskin's game.

Whenever we have a government authority trying to get into a person's head to see how they 'think' or 'feel', I get worried. It is not logical to conclude that a crime inspired by hate is somehow worse than the same crime inspired by greed (or any other factor). Unfortunately, now the government is arresting people who haven't even committed an actual crime.