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The Arrest That Demonstrates Europe’s Free-Speech Problem
The Atlantic ^ | September 2, 2025 | Helen Lewis

Posted on 09/03/2025 7:30:29 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

The Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan was once known for his charming, sometimes surreal sitcoms—Father Ted, Black Books, The IT Crowd—on British TV. These days, however, he is better known for his online crusade against transgender activism. His X feed takes the same approach as Libs of TikTok, cherry-picking videos of criminals and fetishists in a full-scale assault on “gender ideology.”

He is obsessive and offensive. But is he a criminal? The British police seem to think so. Linehan was arrested by five armed officers today on his return from the United States, where he has been working on a new sitcom, and was accused of “inciting violence.” He says this allegation relates to three posts on X. (Authorities have not contradicted him, and British news outlets are treating his account as credible.) In one of the offending posts, he wrote: “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.” Can criminal incitement really occur in a hypothetical situation? If so, we’re going to need a bigger holding cell.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: dissent; europe; freespeech

1 posted on 09/03/2025 7:30:29 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

Try checking the prices of flights to Caracas and Havana on say Air Canada and Kayak. You can’t.

Flights to the UK could be cut off in the same way.

We need to fight for free speech in the UK.

UK insanity tends to head west across The Pond.


2 posted on 09/03/2025 7:38:21 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: MinorityRepublican

It’s a fascist mindset. not just a problem.

Australia, NZ, and Canaduh are similarly deeply infected.

Western Civ. is crashing on the shoals.


3 posted on 09/03/2025 7:40:33 PM PDT by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: MinorityRepublican

There is irony in the fact that the Atlantic finds a problem with this sort of totalitarian approach to speech control.


4 posted on 09/03/2025 8:12:43 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s, you weren't really there)
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To: MinorityRepublican

He ought to have resisted agressively until all five were scattered upon him holding him immobile.

If they believe you are “violent” and require 5 cops, then earn it.

Swatt team? Earn it. Tell the judge he was training them, exposing their poor training.


5 posted on 09/03/2025 8:28:01 PM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
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To: Brian Griffin

Cute how the leftist a-holes at the nation call this outrages action merely a “free speech problem”.


6 posted on 09/03/2025 8:28:19 PM PDT by iamgalt
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To: If You Want It Fixed - Fix It

I like the way you think.

Because the older one gets the less frightening the phrase “life in prison” becomes.

L


7 posted on 09/03/2025 8:45:46 PM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Brian Griffin

biden certainly gave it a good try


8 posted on 09/03/2025 10:42:12 PM PDT by joshua c
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To: If You Want It Fixed - Fix It

please refrain from giving out advice

or maybe you could do his time when resisting arrest is added to the charges


9 posted on 09/03/2025 10:44:52 PM PDT by joshua c
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To: MinorityRepublican

EU masters have taken to disallowing wrong-think candidates to stand for election...or even voiding election results if ‘right wing’ candidates do well.


10 posted on 09/03/2025 10:48:56 PM PDT by citizen (A transgender male competing against women may be male, but he's no man.)
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To: If You Want It Fixed - Fix It

11 posted on 09/04/2025 12:16:47 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster
Watch out, your probably now on the arrest list for reposting this meme.
BTW, lots of flights from the EU transit British airports on the way to Ireland.
When do they start hauling passengers off the planes?
12 posted on 09/04/2025 1:01:57 AM PDT by Waverunner (Torah! Torah! Torah! my favorite IDF radio code.)
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To: Waverunner

I figure I was already on such a list for my general FR posting. And the thought had already crossed my mind, that I don’t want to travel to the UK in the current environment.


13 posted on 09/04/2025 3:47:58 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: ChildOfThe60s

I honestly don’t think they find a problem with it, except it raised visibility in the public eye.


14 posted on 09/04/2025 5:37:23 AM PDT by Tench_Coxe (The woke were surprised by the reaction to the Bud Light fiasco. May there be many more surprises)
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To: MinorityRepublican
Related...

Starmer’s Regime Just Lit The Fuse On The U.K.’s Free Speech Crisis

The bust heard 'round the world.

15 posted on 09/04/2025 5:41:47 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: MinorityRepublican

How does the UK think it has jurisdiction over an Irish citizen exercising first amendment rights while in the US?


16 posted on 09/04/2025 6:43:13 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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