By Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor PUBLISHED: 04:50 EST, 31 July 2013 | UPDATED: 11:44 EST, 31 July 2013 Abuse: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said using Twitter was not an excuse for 'grotesque' behaviour Nick Clegg today backed a police operation to arrest Twitter trolls who have posted vile abuse and threats of rape. The Deputy Prime Minister said arrests this week ‘sent out a signal’ that using online messaging is not an excuse for ‘totally unacceptable behaviour’. Mr Clegg warned: ‘Just because you tweet something doesn’t mean you can start behaving in a grotesque, offensive, abusive and sometimes criminal way.’
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Ministers including Home Secretary Theresa May have been targeted
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Some of the vile comments have remained on YouTube for two years
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The latest revelations come after a row involving female MPs and Twitter
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Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy was threatened with rape on the site
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Twitter bosses could face questions from a parliamentary inquiry
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100,000 sign petition for Twitter to beef up ways of dealing with abuse
Hitting back: Miss @placeholder retweeted the abuse aimed at her in a bid to highlight the issue