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London constabulary said Monday they would halt investigating “non-crime hatred incidents” aft they were criticised for arresting a drama writer implicit anti-transgender societal media posts.
London’s constabulary commissioner Mark Rowley called for greater clarity connected handling violative societal media posts aft Graham Linehan — writer of “Father Ted” and the “IT Crowd” — was detained aft landing astatine Heathrow Airport successful September implicit 3 posts connected X.
At the time, the UK’s policing watchdog recommended authorities halt signaling and investigating hatred incidents that were not transgression offences.
London’s Metropolitan constabulary said successful a connection that Rowley “has been wide helium doesn’t judge officers should beryllium policing toxic civilization warfare debates, with existent laws and rules connected inciting unit online leaving them successful an intolerable position”.
“As a result, the Met volition nary longer analyse non-crime hatred incidents,” the Met spokesperson said, adding that the determination would supply “clearer absorption for officers” and let them to absorption connected transgression probes.
The constabulary connection added that specified incidents would inactive beryllium recorded, and officers would proceed to probe and apprehension those who perpetrate hatred crimes.
Prosecutors besides announced connected Monday they would instrumentality “no further action” against Linehan, 57, successful narration to the September arrest, successful which helium was accused of inciting unit via his societal media posts.
In 1 station helium said: “if a trans-identified antheral is successful a female-only space, helium is committing a violent, abusive act.”
“Make a scene, telephone the cops and if each other fails, punch him successful the balls,” helium continued.
After prosecutors announced their determination to not probe the lawsuit further, the Irish writer said helium would effort to “hold the constabulary accountable” for what helium described arsenic an “attempt to soundlessness and suppress sex captious voices”.
– ‘Rock and a hard place’ –
His apprehension was slammed by hard-right person Nigel Farage and Harry Potter writer JK Rowling, with tech billionaire and X proprietor Elon Musk besides wading into the statement to telephone Britain a “police state”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer besides said constabulary should absorption connected the “most superior issues”, with Rowley adding that from present connected officers would lone prosecute societal media posts “where determination is simply a wide hazard of harm oregon disorder”.
“Where determination is ambiguity successful presumption of intent and harm, policing has been near betwixt a stone and a hard spot by successive governments who person fixed officers nary prime but to grounds specified incidents arsenic crimes erstwhile they’re reported,” Rowley had said successful September.
Linehan, who has been awarded an Emmy and respective BAFTAs for his shows, appeared successful tribunal successful September facing abstracted harassment charges implicit making “abusive and vindictive” posts against a transgender woman, which helium denies.
Free code has been the taxable of fierce statement successful Britain successful caller months, with the authorities and constabulary criticised for the arrests of hundreds of radical who showed enactment for Palestine Action, which was proscribed this summer.
US politicians person been vocal astir the issue, with Vice President JD Vance raising it with Starmer during a White House gathering successful February.
The station London constabulary to halt probing ‘non-crime hatred incidents’ appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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