For shouting abusively about Jews while in a London gym, British diplomat Rowan Laxton has been arrested. Joshua Rozenberg (link via Engage) considers the likelihood of Laxton's being charged under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act. Unlikely Rozenberg thinks: guilt for stirring up religious hatred requires proof of intent, which would be hard to show in this case; and though guilt for stirring up racial hatred does not require that - the likelihood of stirring up racial hatred being sufficient - the circumstances of Laxton's utterances in the gym suggest that even this proof might be hard to secure.
Laxton's fitness to be a British diplomat is put in question by the allegation against him. But whether or not he will be charged, in my view he shouldn't be. The circumstances of what he said, at least as these are reported, do not appear to cross the boundary of what ought to remain protected speech - do not go over on to the terrain constituting incitement to violence. Another thing: the Times report says that some people using the gym asked Laxton to stop his tirade. That's an excellent way of dealing with such behaviour; so that what it actually stirs up is public disapproval directed towards the person speaking abusively.