TV writer Graham Linehan's arrest over transgender X posts sparks free-speech debate
The arrest of comedy writerThe arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan in Britain over social media posts about transgender people has sparked a debate about freedom of speech and its limits.
Supporters of Linehan say U.K. laws are stifling legitimate comment and creating what "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling –- like Linehan, a critic of trans activism –- called "totalitarianism."
Others argue that online abuse and hate speech have real-world impact and police have a duty to take it seriously. London's police chief said ambiguities in the law had left officers "in an impossible position."
Arrested at the airport
Linehan, the co-creator of beloved 1990s sitcom "Father Ted" and other shows including "The IT Crowd," says he was detained by five armed police officers on Monday at Heathrow Airport as he returned from Arizona.Linehan, who has been outspoken in his assertions that trans women are men, said on X in April that trans women were violent criminals if they used women-only facilities. He advocated people "punch" them if calling police and other measures failed to stop them.
The post came days after the head of the U.K's Equality and Human Rights Commission said transgender women would be excluded from women-only spaces such as toilets, single-sex hospital wards and sports teams. The decision followed a ruling by Britain's highest court that the terms "woman" and "man" refer to biological sex for anti-discrimination purposes.
Another post by Linehan referred to trans-rights protesters and said "I hate them."
The Metropolitan Police force didn't name Linehan but said it had arrested a man in his 50s at the airport on suspicion of inciting violence in posts on X.
Linehan, 57, said on Substack that he had been "arrested for jokes." He said the questioning by police sent his blood pressure soaring and he was taken to the hospital and kept under observation before being released on bail, on condition he doesn't post on X......
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The United Kingdom has gone bloody crazy. .
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