‘With so many unsolved rapes and crimes, why are police arresting Graham Linehan?’
Father Ted writer Graham Linehan has been arrested for allegedly inciting violence against trans people with social media posts. Why has this caused such a stir, and left even some who disagree with his online activities critical of his arrest?
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In brief…
- Father Ted writer Graham Linehan was arrested on Tuesday 2 September on arrival at Heathrow airport, London, and charged with inciting violence due to three tweets, including a call to “punch” trans women.
- Linehan has spent years writing, and sharing social media posts about trans people.
- The News Agents say there are questions to be asked over why police resources are being used in this way, whether his history of online abuse contributed to the arrest, and what constitutes incitement to violence in the UK today.
What’s the story?
When Graham Linehan landed at Heathrow airport on 2 September, he was greeted by five policemen and swiftly arrested.
He is accused of inciting violence in posts on X, including one which called on people to "call the cops” or “punch” trans women “in the balls” if they enter a “female-only space”.
In recent years, the former comedy writer has become a prolific anti-transgender activist on social media, referring to pro-LGBTQ+ people as paedophiles, and attempting to take credit for the trend of calling people "groomers" online if they support trans people and their equal rights.
Jon Sopel describes the method of Linehan’s arrest as “performative”, saying conducting it at Heathrow – where all officers are armed – only made the moment more dramatic.
There has been widespread criticism of the method of his arrest, even from those who stand against his commentary on trans people, their lives and how they look.
Linehan's arrest over online activity follows the recent release of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for inciting racial hatred with a 2024 tweet calling on people to burn down migrant hotels with residents inside.
Connolly, a "right-wing obsession", has been celebrated as a champion of free-speech by the UK's hard-right, who also offered their immediate support to Linehan after his arrest.
Linehan has said he will sue London’s Metropolitan police for wrongful arrest.
Is Graham Linehan an ‘extremist’?
Comparing Linehan’s social media posts with what Lucy Connolly said is complicated.
Her calls for violence against asylum seekers were made during heightened tensions in the UK regarding migrants. But in this case, Linehan’s long-running targeting of trans people may have been part of the MET’s decision to arrest him this week.
“Is he an extremist? Some people wouldn't think so,” she adds.
“But I think if you are in the trans community, you would see his views as extremist. It's as simple as that.”
Jon describes Linehan's tweets an "attempt at humour".
Why has Graham Linehan’s arrest caused such controversy?
Government ministers have criticised the Heathrow arrest, and countless columns have already been penned in the right-wing press about what this means for free speech in the UK.
Even those firmly against everything Linehan stands for have been left “scratching their heads” and asking if this arrest, and how it was carried out, was justified.
“The first question is why we're using police time in this way when we have so many unsolved crimes, so much domestic violence, rape cases that never get convicted, shoplifting that happens on a mega scale every single day,” says Emily.
“But the hardest question is where does language become incitement to violence?
“Graham Linehan has a long history of pretty offensive, rude, personal tweets and statements – many of them going after a very marginalised community, the trans community.
“But we are dealing with something that seems to call upon a definition of what is intent to harm, and what is a hypothetical attack.”