R Hilton

🚨 UPDATE FROM GRAHAM LINEHAN Last week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, found that the Metropolitan Police’s handling of Graham’s complaint about his arrest at Heathrow was not reasonable or proportionate. Last year, Graham was arrested by five armed police officers as he arrived at Heathrow from Arizona. His “crime”? Three gender-critical posts on X. Gender-critical beliefs are lawful. They are protected under the Equality Act 2010 and were reaffirmed by last year’s landmark Supreme Court ruling. With the support of the Free Speech Union, Graham sent the Met a pre-action letter arguing that his arrest was unlawful and breached his right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Met issued a full and unreserved public apology and paid Graham £25,000 in compensation. Graham also complained to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards about his arrest and detention in September 2025. The IOPC has now ordered the Met to reinvestigate, saying Graham may have been treated as he was because of his gender-critical views. The Met’s decision to reopen the investigation is welcome news. Graham has been relentlessly hounded by trans activists for his lawful views and advocacy for women’s rights. The police have acted on vexatious complaints from those seeking to silence him and others who hold gender-critical beliefs. This ideological capture must end. The Free Speech Union is proud to support @Glinner. Watch Graham Linehan below 👇

It is impossible to argue that criticism of Islam and criticism of Christianity are treated equally by the authorities. Christian street preachers are being arrested at an alarming rate across the country, often following vexatious complaints and the misapplication of the Public Order Act 1986. Stephen Gray, an FSU member and former police officer of 27 years, was convicted of sending a “grossly offensive” communication under the Communications Act 2003 after reposting a joke about the Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. The image showed a man wearing a turban alongside a rasher of bacon, with the caption: “Fun facts about bacon! People who eat bacon have a lower chance of marrying a nine-year-old!” It referred to the Prophet Muhammad’s marriage to a nine-year-old. Two police officers went to Stephen’s home. He was left with a criminal record and a £1,100 fine. As Stephen has said, if he had made a joke about the Catholic Church, the response would have been very different. John Cleese has also been referred to Prevent over comments about Islam on social media. Prevent is the Government’s counter-terrorism programme. Would he have been referred for posting critical comments about Christianity? Obviously not. Parliament abolished blasphemy laws in 2008. In a free society, no religion should receive greater protection than another, or be shielded from legitimate criticism, debate or challenge.