Northern Ireland police force sparks Twitter backlash for 'trivialising rape' with mistletoe warning

A police force has sparked a social media backlash after it posted a message warning that bumping into someone under the mistletoe could be rape.

Northern Ireland’s police service was accused of “trivialising” serious sexual assault after it shared the festive-themed message on Twitter on Saturday.

The tweet read: “If you bump into that special someone under the mistletoe tonight, remember that without consent it is rape #SeasonsGreetings”.

Hundreds of people responded to the message, with many people on Twitter calling the warning “bizarre”.

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

Several people said they thought the tweet came from a parody account while one Twitter user told the force to “get a grip”.