Man Declared Innocent Of Racial Abuse; Used N-Word As ‘Term Of Endearment’

ATLANTA (CBS Atlanta) - Earlier this year, a passionate Twitter debate erupted regarding usage of the n-word after actress Gwyneth Paltrow used the controversial term in a Tweet.

“N****s in Paris for real,” the message from the “Iron Man” actress read.

While speaking exclusively with V-103 in Atlanta, rapper and fellow actor Nas defended her right to use the slur.

Another man in the United Kingdom was also given such clearance for using the n-word recently – by a North Staffordshire magistrate who believed him when he said to use it as a “term of endearment

According to The Guardian, local man Christopher Jones was initially charged by local authorities and courts with racial abuse when he used the word while addressing a black man.

A self-proclaimed fan of rap music, Jones pleaded not guilty, and told magistrates that he used the phrase habitually in his neighborhood.

“I am not a racist,” he was quoted as saying to area newspaper The Sentinel. “It was used as slang. For me it is a term of endearment, not something racist.”

He added to the paper, “I like hip-hop and it is a word that is used all the time in music.”

While talking with the website, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson described the incident by saying that Jones had “repeatedly shouted [the word] from a window to a group on the street” on Sept. 10 of this year.

“Mr. Jones accepted that he used the language alleged but denied it was motivated by hostility,” the representative added. “This was accepted by the magistrates and Mr. Jones was acquitted.”

The Guardian additionally reported that a police officer in London was cleared just last week after coworkers heard him say that black people resembled monkeys.