Graham Linehan

[muddy]

Has been arrested by five armed Met police for posting a tweet re trans men in women's spaces .

Now we can all sleep easier in our beds  because the writer of Father Ted has been detained .

Free speech being suppressed

[GrannyMac]

Appalling!  Five armed police because he wrote something in support of women and single sex spaces. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/graham-lineham-arrest-starmer-police-b2819031.html

[Dextrous63]

Small wonders they didn't taser him and boot him in the head.

[Scrumpy]

Times They are A Changing...
  How quickly the police reacted to this (crime)..

I hope this incites people to protest ...

We will gradually become as China.. Suppressed .. Heads down..

Remember the posters during the war...!!!!
     The Walls Have Ears...  

[Dextrous63]

I wonder if sending 5 armed police officers would be deemed as intimidating and potentially a hate crime?

[Scrumpy]

I don't know where they even found five police officers...

[JBR]

Ridiculous.  Five armed policemen to arrest one man for tweeting the wrong words?

Time was, in the good old days, that the police were respected by most people, and that if people felt in trouble or in danger the first recourse would be to call the police for help.
Sadly, for one thing you rarely see a copper these days unless they happen to be driving around in their cars, and even if you do, the first reaction is, "What have I said, or written?"
I am often likely to post my thoughts online or to comment on what others have said.  Unfortunately, I am now becoming a little worried and must try to remember not to do this any more.  How sad, and even dangerous, this country is now becoming.
Certainly, for the next four years I must be very careful indeed.

[Alex]

The explanation for the 5 armed police officers is this took place at an airport where officers are always armed. These cops were already there and told to escort a ' wanted' person off a plane. .  Still OTT of course.

[Dextrous63]

The explanation for the 5 armed police officers is this took place at an airport where officers are always armed. These cops were already there and told to escort a ' wanted' person off a plane. .  Still OTT of course.

Having ascertained the situation, three of them should have buggered off and found something more useful to do.

[JBR]

The explanation for the 5 armed police officers is this took place at an airport where officers are always armed. These cops were already there and told to escort a ' wanted' person off a plane. .  Still OTT of course.

A wanted person.  Wanted for tweeting some words which seem to have upset someone, presumably someone in authority?
I remember when we had the right of freedom of speech.  Of course, under TwoTier Starmer, we are beginning to morph into North Korea.

[Dextrous63]

Worth remembering that Lineham isn't even a British National,.  he's Irish.

[klondike]

I suppose that many will have had this email....

Dear Mr klondike,

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – "Review possible penalties for social media posts, including the use of prison".

Government responded:

The government is committed to ensuring penalties are proportionate and uphold freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of our democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to demonstrate their views, however uncomfortable these may be to the majority. The government is committed to protecting this right while also ensuring that laws are in place to address harmful, criminal behaviour.

The UK's Online Safety Act 2023 ("the Act") reflects this careful balance. It requires platforms to take proportionate steps to tackle illegal content and protect children from harmful material. At the same time, it has been designed to safeguard legal free speech, uphold privacy, and support innovation. The Act does not prevent adults from accessing legal content, nor does it restrict people from posting content that others may find offensive. It is not about individual posts. Instead, Ofcom will assess the systems and processes platforms have in place to manage risks and respond to harm. There are also protections against the over-removal of content, ensuring that lawful speech is not wrongly taken down.

Where an individual is convicted for an offence related to opinion-based online speech, the independent judiciary are responsible for determining appropriate sentences based on the facts of each case and the relevant sentencing guidelines. The sentencing framework provides courts with a range of sentencing powers alongside imprisonment, including fines, community sentences, and suspended sentences. The law also makes clear that imprisonment should only be imposed where no other sentence would be appropriate.

The government commissioned a comprehensive review of sentencing powers through the Sentencing Review. This was a wide-ranging and evidence-led process that examined the full spectrum of sentencing options—from fines and community orders to custodial sentences—to ensure the framework is robust, proportionate, and fit for purpose.

The government has accepted the majority of the Review's recommendations in principle and intends to legislate to implement them as soon as Parliamentary time allows. This includes targeted reforms to strengthen public protection and reduce reoffending.

We do not consider it necessary or appropriate to revisit the sentencing framework and we currently have no plans to review the penalties for these types of offences.

We are committed to ensuring that our justice system protects the public, upholds fundamental rights, and uses custodial sentences only where they are necessary and proportionate.

Ministry of Justice

This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/728715)

TLDR We won't be changing anything.  BTW your name is on our list. We are watching you.

[Dextrous63]

Yep.  Read and deleted it.

[klondike]

I bet you didn't read all of it 

[Dextrous63]

I bet you didn't read all of it 

Well, maybe not in depth.  But enough to get the gist .... Ie we can all piss off.