Graham Linehan, a co-creator of Father Ted, claimed that he was arrested at Heathrow airport for posting three posts on X, expressing his opinions on transgender problems.
After flying in from Arizona, the 57-year-old claimed that five armed officers detained him. He was informed that he was being held in connection with the social media posts.
Graham Linehan opens up about his arrest in online Substack article
According to Linehan, he was led to a cell and interrogated for the posts he made in April regarding his opinions on confronting "a trans-identified male" in “a female-only space.”
“If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls,” one of the three posts read.
In an online Substack article, he said that officials got worried about his health after monitoring his blood pressure and sent him to the hospital.
Graham Linehan's arrested: Here's what Metropolitan Police said
Without identifying Linehan, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his 50s was heldon September 1at Heathrow Airport, sent to the hospital, and released on bail “pending further investigation”. The police clarified that hiscondition “is neither life-threatening nor life-changing.”
{{/usCountry}}Without identifying Linehan, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his 50s was heldon September 1at Heathrow Airport, sent to the hospital, and released on bail “pending further investigation”. The police clarified that hiscondition “is neither life-threatening nor life-changing.”
{{/usCountry}}“The arrest was made by officers from the MPS Aviation Unit. It is routine for officers policing airports to carry firearms. These were not drawn or used at any point during the arrest,” the Met added.
Netizens fume at Graham Linehan's arrest
Meanwhile, several X users expressed outrage over Linehan's arrest, with one saying that the writer was “so stressed he ended up in hospital & has now been banned from X by the State.”
“The UK is in deep trouble & Slippery Starmer lied to Trump & Vance. OUR FREE SPEECH IS GONE!” the person added.
“Britain is now a total laughing stock - a country where we arrest the authors of light comedies and interrogate them about their tweets. It would be laughable it it wasn't so serious,” wrote Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby & Wigston.
“Graham Linehan @Glinner, one of the best comedy writers of our generation, cancelled by the woke mob of legacy TV because he doesn't think men in dresses should be in women's private spaces. Has again been arrested by Starmer's regime, and banned from posting on 𝕏 by them,” Journalist Tommy Robinson said.