A kiss under the mistletoe can be rape, say police

MANY of us think kissing under the mistletoe is a quaint festive tradition.

But a police force has warned that ‘ bumping into’ someone under mistletoe constitutes rape unless consent is given.

The force concerned promptly came under fire for ‘trivialising’ sex attacks after posting the warning on Twitter on Saturday.

It wrote: ‘If you bump into that special someone under the mistletoe tonight, remember that without consent it is rape #SeasonsGreetings.’ The tweet was shared hundreds of times.

Twitter user James Dalton responded: ‘ Perhaps a refresher course on the definition of “rape” wouldn’t go amiss. An embarrassing tweet which trivialises a thoroughly despicable crime.’

Several others believed the tweet from the Police Service of Northern Ireland – which has 159,000 followers on the social media site, had come from a parody account while another user told the force to ‘get a grip’.

One wrote: ‘ Bumping into someone, under the mistletoe, is now considered rape? Why do you trivialise such a serious issue with such a nonsense tweet?’

Another, Mike Love, added: ‘This tweet tells people that a kiss is rape. Do you realise what you’ve said?’

The force removed the tweet after being contacted by MailOnline and said it had been ‘taken out of context’.

In a message posted yesterday, 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.’

Christopher Miller replied on Twitter: ‘Wot? The message yesterday was that bumping into people under mistletoe without consent is rape. Today, even socialising without consent is rape.’

Some respondents suggested the PSNI had failed to understand the law regarding rape.

One user questioned: ‘ Has your account been hacked that is the most ridiculous assertion ever made. The very least it could be is common assault.’ Kissing someone without their consent is likely to be classed as sexual assault, not rape.

It is not the first time the PSNI has faced a backlash for social media posts as part of its ‘without consent’ campaign launched in 2013.

The force was criticised for ‘victim blaming’ in March after warning women not to ‘overindulge’. Some Twitter users said the message implied it is the responsibility of women to prevent rape by not drinking too much.