UK sitcom, Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has been arrested on suspicion of provoking violence in relation to his X posts at Heathrow Airport. Five officers arrested him after his arrival on a flight from the US. The officials then became concerned about his health. The officials took him to the hospital after taking his blood pressure.
The Metropolitan Police stated that a man was arrested on September 1 at Heathrow Airport and taken to the hospital. The officer added that his condition is neither life-threatening nor life-changing. Comedian Graham was bailed as of now, pending further investigation.
In an online article on Substack, Linehan said that his bail condition stipulates he is not to go on X. Further, Linehan added that his arrest was related to his three posts on X from April. He shared his views about challenging a trans-identified male in a female-only space.
The arrest indicates a furious backlash from personnel, including JK Rowling. Linehan shared screenshots of his posts and stated that he was arrested for Substack, which is a subscription-based online platform.
From his X-feed, the first post was labelled as a violent and abusive act. He suggested, “make a scene, call the cops, and if all else fails, punch him in the balls”.
Then he wrote on Substack that, following his arrest, during the police interview, he explained that the ‘punch’ tweet was a serious point made with jokes. He further clarified that it was all about the height difference between men and women, which was somehow not a call to violence.
The second post from his X handle appeared to be an aerial shot of a group of complainers in a town centre. Linehan called it “a photo you can smell”.
The third post expressed his views, and he said in that, “I hate them, referring to misogynists and homophobes”.
Conservative Party Leader Kemi Bedenoch criticised his arrest and stated that sending five police officers to arrest a man for a X tweet is not policing. Instead, it’s politics.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Phlip called the arrest “totally disproportionate”. Further added that police often do not bother to follow up on shoplifting, phone theft, and car theft properly. He further said that the police should focus on catching real criminals.
The Free Speech Union, an organisation that works dedicatedly to the defence of freedom of expression, condemned the arrest and expressed its support for Linehan.
Conservative activist, Robby Starbuck, slammed the UK and stated the country has no free speech and “that the feelings of transgender migrants come before the rights of everyone else.