'I Don't Care If You Are Black, White, Green or a Martian From the Moon'

We'll overlook the fact that Martians aren't from the moon in light of the absurdity of this story out of--where else--Britain.

Apparently it's now racist to tell "Asian youths" to go home when they're drunk and causing a disturbance.

A grandmother and former policewoman was arrested on race charges after telling a group of noisy university students to 'go home'.

Lib Dem councillor Jo Calvert-Mindell, 51, was left 'sickened' after cops carted her off to the police station and charged her with using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour.

The arrest came after Cllr Calvert-Mindell, a former PC and social worker, had called cops to report a group of eight drunken University of Kent students who were repeatedly waking her and neighbours on her estate in November last year.

Two Asians in the group claimed she was being racist.

When she stepped out of her home in Canterbury to confront to students she told them: 'Why can't you go back to where you come from and make some noise there? I bet your families and neighbours wouldn't put up with it.'

After reporting the incident, Ms Calvert-Mindell thought nothing more of it until March 15 when she was arrested.

On April 30 she was officially charged with the offence and on May 14 she appeared in the dock of Folkestone Magistrates Court where she denied one charge of using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour under section 5 of the Public Order Act.

The charge hung over Cllr Calvert-Mindell until the Crown Prosecution Service decided to drop the case last week admitting there was little chance of conviction - and now she is filing an official complaint.

Cllr Calvert-Mindell, a community volunteer, said: "The last thing I am is a racist. I have a totally inclusive attitude to different races and cultures - I don't care if you are black, white, green or a martian from the moon.

'Their colour had nothing to do with it - it was their behaviour.

'I think there is something very wrong in our society when a resident can't go out and try and prevent crime and disorder and encourage the defendants to go back home and that they can then play the race card to completely absolve themselves of an responsibility for that behaviour.

'The authorities today are so sensitive to being criticised for being racist themselves that any claims of racism just raises their antennae, instead of using common sense.'