In many ways more clear cut and in other ways not so much... and that's at the heart of our disagreement. I'm not going to argue that the behaviour of our imaginary sexual assaulter or even Amy Cooper is acceptable - I'm arguing about how we police that acceptability and how much sway we give the general public over what is 'acceptable' and not. I think that's at the crux of our debate really.

I think there is a compromise position and you aren't going to like it. In the case of Amy Cooper, when it was clear that she had broken the law, been charged and not been acquitted - the firm could've had a legal right to terminate her employment but only after due process and not before it. It being a part of her employment conditions.

In the case of non-illegal but otherwise egregious behaviour, I think there should be a mechanism within every company by which staff can raise their concerns and take union action if necessary - if the feeling was that strong. Like you I would advocate for firing the teacher generating guilt for malpractice - unlike you, I wouldn't fire the gay/black/trans writer for a manifesto about killing all straight white men. Writing stuff down isn't illegal in your country only acting on your writings...., but I'd sure as fuck be watching them very closely.

My unease lays with your final words 'it's about the kind of person you want working for you and how the presence of that person will impact the other people working for you". If it was your company, sure... I'd want to come and work for you because who doesn't want to be in Steve QJ's Justice office - and your case for this woman being a racist is strong. But flip this for a second..... What happens when someone films young Katy going to get an abortion, whips up the conservative right and letters fire into her company. She's not the sort of person we want, she's a moral force for evil in her department. What about when someone uncovers John's previous drug conviction and decides that his prison time wasn't quite enough penance and doesn't want 'that kind of person' working with us anymore. Put short, I can see the court of public opinion methodology backfiring spectacularly in a few years time and disproportionately affecting marginalised people. It's not a deal i think we should be making in haste.

I know that's whataboutism - but that's the problem with the centre ground. It's always that. This has been a great discussion and thoroughly enjoyable. Let me know when you're setting up the QJ offices of Justice and I will come run the legalistic HR department :o)