Wrote critically about trans women - arrested suspected of incitement

As soon as Graham Linehan stepped off the plane at Heathrow in London, he was arrested by the police. The reason is some statements published on social media which the British authorities claim were “inciting to violence”.

Graham Linehan is an Irish screenwriter, actor, comedian, and director. He has written scripts for famous TV series such as Father Ted and The IT Crowd. He has won five BAFTA awards.

After an episode of The IT Crowd was criticized as transphobic, Linehan became involved in the issue. He argues that trans activism jeopardizes women’s safety and has likened the use of puberty blockers to Nazi eugenics. According to Linehan, his opinions have ”consumed his life”, cost him work, and ended his marriage.

Now the persecution has taken a step further. When Linehan landed at London-Heathrow airport on Monday, he was met by five armed police officers and arrested on suspicion of incitement to violence. However, he was later released on bail pending further investigation.

As a condition for his release, the British state demands that he does not speak on X again – the same platform where three previous posts would constitute the alleged incitement.

One of the allegedly hateful posts reads: “If a trans-identified man is in a space designated for women only, he is committing a violent and offensive act. Create a scene, call the police, and if all else fails, kick him in the balls.”

Hostile towards freedom of speech

On his site, Linehan writes about the bizarre experience: ”I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to the hospital because the stress almost killed me, and banned from speaking online – all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic transvestites.”

”In a country where pedophiles escape punishment, where knife crime is out of control, where women are attacked and harassed every time they gather to speak, the state mobilized five armed police officers to arrest a comedy writer for this tweet (and no, I promise you, I am not making this up).”

”For me, this proves one thing beyond all doubt: Britain has become a country hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, offensive men who have turned the police into their personal torpedo squad.”

Posts:

Strong reactions

One who has reacted strongly to the case is author J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter books who has been involved in the trans issue and women’s right not to be forced to accept biological men who believe they are women. Rowling does not mince words when she questions the development in Britain: