Farage and Starmer furious after comedy writer arrested in UK over transgender criticism
The article reports on the arrest of Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan in the UK over tweets deemed anti-transgender. Linehan, known for creating the sitcoms *Father Ted* and *The IT Crowd*, was detained by five Metropolitan Police officers upon arriving at Heathrow Airport from Arizona. He stated that the arrest was related to three posts on X (formerly Twitter) containing criticism of transgender issues.During his detainment, Linehan experienced a stress-related high blood pressure episode and was hospitalized.
The arrest sparked outrage from prominent figures including British Prime minister keir Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, both of whom condemned the police action. Starmer’s office emphasized the importance of focusing police resources on community priorities and reaffirmed the UK’s tradition of free speech. However, Starmer’s team also distanced themselves from Elon Musk’s characterization of the UK as a “police state,” a comment Musk made in response to J.K.Rowling’s condemnation of the arrest as “Totalitarianism.”
Farage announced he would address the issue of free speech in the UK during a US House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation,” citing linehan’s case as evidence of a broader crackdown on freedom of expression. The article highlights ongoing tensions surrounding transgender rights,free speech,and law enforcement in the UK.
Farage and Starmer furious after comedy writer arrested in UK over transgender criticism
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage furiously condemned the Metropolitan Police‘s arrest of Irish comedy writer and transgender rights critic Graham Linehan.
Linehan, the writer behind sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd, said he was arrested by five police officers at London’s Heathrow Airport after landing in the United Kingdom on a flight from Arizona. Linehan wrote in his Substack post that the officers said he was arrested over three X posts that contained anti-transgender rhetoric.
He also noted that during his detainment, he was hospitalized for having a “stress-related” high blood pressure of over 200.
A spokesman for Starmer told the Telegraph that the police should focus on what matters “most to their communities.”
“The Met Police Commissioner himself has talked previously about recruits joining the police to protect the public, and that he wants the police to exist to protect the public, spending their time dealing with the issues that matter most to their communities,” the spokesman said.
“The Prime Minister has spoken previously about how he is strongly in favour of free speech and the long proud history of free speech in this country, and he will continue to do so,” he added.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling posted on X following the news of the arrest, saying, “This is Totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk reposted Rowling’s assessment and wrote “police state” in an X post of his own.
Starmer’s spokesman also told the Telegraph that the prime minister did not agree with Musk’s statement on X.
JIM JORDAN INVITES NIGEL FARAGE TO HEARING ON EUROPEAN ‘THREATS’ TO US FREE SPEECH
Farage told the Sun that he would speak about the Linehan arrest and the state of free speech in the U.K. before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Farage was slated to speak as part of a hearing titled “Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation.”
“The Graham Linehan case is yet another example of the war on freedom in the U.K.,” Farage said. “I will discuss this, the Lucy Connolly case, and the increasing role of our police in non-crime ‘hate’ incidents on Capitol Hill tomorrow. Free speech is under assault, and I am urging the USA to be vigilant.”
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