Final Paragraph:
Courts distinguish between speech that merely annoys an officer and speech that genuinely impedes their work. While police may resent offensive words, they cannot use their authority to punish individuals for lawful, protected conduct. Determining whether speech is protected or unprotected involves careful analysis of all surrounding facts and circumstances.
Edited to add:
Few of us here would align ourselves with the group trying to suppress information right now, so although I recognize this is not always a smart decision in every situation, I’m not really willing to get onboard with the idea that disseminating topical information from reasonable sources is a problem.
Use your downvotes as you see fit, but I’m not going to apologize for the post. Edit: And am a little disappointed to see information buried so decisively in this community on Lemmy of all places.
Telling a police officer to fuck off may not be illegal but it’s still inadvisable. If they don’t like you, they’re more likely to look for a reason to bust you.