(LifeSiteNews) — The charges against Irish comedian Graham Linehan – who was arrested by five armed policeman on September 1 at Heathrow Airport over tweets mocking transgenderism – were dropped on Monday. Not only, that, but the London Metropolitan Police also announced that they will no longer be criminally investigating “non-crime hate incidents.”
The Crown Prosecution Service announced that after a “careful review” of the evidence submitted by police – presumably, the three tweets mocking transgenderism that were alleged to be an “incitement to violence” – that they would not be pursuing charges against Linehan. The comedian is still on trial for an altercation with a transgender activist at the Battle of Ideas last year.
“I am writing to inform you that following a review of the evidence by the Crown Prosecution Service, it has been determined that no further action will be taken in this matter,” a Metropolitan police detective wrote in an email to Linehan’s lawyer. “This decision means that no charges will be brought against Graham Linehan in relation to this allegation.”
The email concluded, somewhat ominously: “Please note that this decision may be reconsidered if further evidence or information comes to light.”
Linehan’s arrest at Heathrow was carried out under the Public Order Act, with the police stating that his tweet had constituted a “non-crime hate incident.” But the public backlash to Linehan’s arrest appears to have provoked protest from the police, as well, with many officers objecting to their being used as storm troopers on the front lines of the culture wars.
A “non-crime hate incident” (NHCI) is defined as “an incident that falls short of being criminal but which is perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person with a particular characteristic.” The deliberately vague characterization has resulted in a number of high-profile, sinister incidents in which police arrested citizens merely for social media posts objecting to LGBT ideology and making statements on other political issues.
Now, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police on Monday affirmed that the force “understands the concern” around Linehan’s arrest and noted that the police want a change in policy.
“The commissioner has been clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position,” the spokesperson stated. A change in policy would thus “provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity, and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations.”
This is welcome news, but a much more comprehensive review of so-called NHCIs is warranted. These incidents are still recorded, and LGBT groups have determined what actually constitutes a “non-crime hate incident” in many instances.
In September, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke stated that police should no longer record NCHIs at all, and that the legislation puts police in an “invidious position” with “discretion and common sense” often being abandoned. “I think we need to separate the offensive from the criminal,” he stated.
Linehan and the Free Speech Union, meanwhile, have stated that they plan to sue the Metropolitan Police for both wrongful arrest and violation of the comedian’s free speech rights.
“The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September,” Linehan wrote on X on Monday. “After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.”
“With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.”
