A gender-critical lesbian has won a case against Northumbria Police who failed to "act impartially" by marching at a Newcastle Pride parade.
Linzi Smith, 34, claimed that the force's uniformed participation in last year's march broke the professional oath sworn by each police officer to act "with impartiality" at work.
And in a landmark High Court ruling today, a judge found that there would have been "issues" in policing with impartiality if, for example, an "attempted counter demonstration by gender critical people" broke out.
Court filings outline how Smith "entirely accepts that it was necessary for the event to be policed, but she objects to what she sees as the force and/or members of the force associating themselves with the views of supporters of gender ideology and transgender activists by actively participating".
"Gender ideology", she claimed, had been "embraced by the organisers of the event" and was supported by "many of the participants".
LINZI SMITH
|Linzi Smith has won a landmark case against Northumbria Police
The 34-year-old objected to how the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police:
Smith said that police officers who partook in the above acted "contrary to their duties of impartiality" and that the decision to authorise and support it was unlawful.
The 34-year-old, who was expelled from Newcastle United FC following a months-long probe into her gender-critical views, said she was "delighted" with today's ruling.
"I am delighted with the judgement of the court. It is terrifying to live in a community where the police have abandoned their duty of impartiality and embraced a highly controversial political cause," she said.
"I've experienced first-hand what happens when the police forget their duty of impartiality.
"I posted some gender-critical tweets, and Northumbria Police launched an investigation into my conduct - but when I received appalling homophobic abuse as a lesbian, they did absolutely nothing.
"Their participation in the Pride march clearly shows where their sympathies lie. Today however, the court has ruled decisively that the Chief Constable acted unlawfully.
"My hope is that Northumbria Police change their ways and follow this ruling.
"If they do, they will be policing the community for everyone."