Free speech campaigners are celebrating after Scotland Yard revealed it will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. The Metropolitian Police confirmed the changes after it emerged the case against Father Ted creator Graham Linehan had been dropped.
Mr Linehan, 57, was arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts about trans rights he had made on X. The arrest sparked controversy, with Conservative politicians and Harry Potter author JK Rowling among those who criticised the arrest. The head of the Met Police said at the time that officers are in “an impossible position” when dealing with statements made online.
Following Linehan’s announcement on Monday that the probe into his posts has been dropped, a spokesperson for the police force said: “We understand the concern around this case.
“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.
“As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations.”
Non-crime hate incidents are incidents that do not count as crimes but are perceived to be motivated by hatred towards certain characteristics such as race or gender.
The Met spokesperson continued: “These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality.
“We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes – allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “The Met are ending non-crime investigations. Finally.
“They’d morphed far beyond their original purpose, abused by activists trampling on free speech and wasting about 60,000 hours of police time.
“It’s common sense they go and every police force in the country should follow suit.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This is a great victory for our campaign against the police wasting their valuable time on non-criminal matters.
“They should focus on catching shoplifters, car thieves and phone thieves – not policing offence on social media.
“This is a welcome return to common sense. We now need to see this approach applied across the whole country – something we put to a vote in Parliament earlier this year, but Labour sadly voted it down.
“I now urge the Government to think again and support our proposal to end non-crime hate incidents entirely – and only investigate or record something if it is likely to be an immediate precursor to actual criminality. It’s time for a return to common sense.”
Mr Linehan announced on social media on Monday afternoon that police had told his lawyers that he faces no further action over the Heathrow arrest.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed the evidence and concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction, it is understood.
A CPS spokesperson said: “Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on September 1.”
The Free Speech Union (FSU) said it has instructed lawyers to sue the Met Police for wrongful arrest.
Mr Linehan posted on X: “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.”
The FSU said: “Police forces cannot continue to suppress lawful free speech without facing consequences.
“We’ve instructed a top-flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things.
“Graham deserves an apology but, more importantly, the police need to be taught a lesson that they cannot allow themselves to be continually manipulated by woke activists.”
The Met came under fire after Linehan’s arrest, with Rowling claiming it was “totalitarianism” and “deplorable”.
Conservative politicians also levelled criticism last month, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch saying the arrest showed “values of free speech are being slowly eroded by people weaponising the law and using it for petty squabbling”.
Meanwhile, Sir James Cleverly said the arrest looked like a “real overreaction” to what was “self-evidently a joke”. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick described the incident as “a complete waste of police time”.
One of the posts that Linehan was arrested over said: “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.”
Another was a photograph of a trans-rights protest, with the comment “a photo you can smell”, and a follow-up post saying: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”
