Father Ted creator Graham Linehan arrested over posts on transgender issues
Source: The Guardian
The writer of TVs Father Ted has been arrested at Heathrow over three social media posts expressing his views on transgender issues.
Graham Linehan, who also created the IT Crowd and Black Books, said he was intercepted by five armed officers after flying in from Arizona and told he was under arrest over the messages.
Writing on Substack, the 57-year-old Irishman said he was taken to a cell and then questioned over the posts, published on X in April.
He said the posts related to him challenging a trans-identified male in a female-only space.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/02/father-ted-creator-graham-linehan-arrested-over-posts-on-transgender-issues

So much for free speech
muriel_volestrangler
(104,693 posts)His anti-trans raving has broken up his marriage. So, no, not "Orwellian".
50 Shades Of Blue
(11,236 posts):::: scratches The IT Crowd off list :::
SCantiGOP
(14,592 posts)Violation of free speech by government is wrong and dangerous no matter what the speech is that is being suppressed.
muriel_volestrangler
(104,693 posts)No, not "Orwellian". Yes, that's potential incitement to violence. Yes, it does matter what the "speech" is.
reACTIONary
(6,706 posts).... " if all else fails punch him in the balls" would not put you in legal jeopardy here in the land of the free.
And I would hate to see what TSF would do with it if it did.
muriel_volestrangler
(104,693 posts)If you're going to think that anything that isn't American is "Orwellian", then I suggest you (re-?)read Orwell.
reACTIONary
(6,706 posts)..... give TSF the ability to prosecute "hate speech". Now that would be Orwellian.
yardwork
(68,038 posts)Hate speech is prosecuted there.
Miguelito Loveless
(5,194 posts)along with J.K. Rowling, Lineham has done his damnedest to incite violence against the trans community.
reACTIONary
(6,706 posts).... of the first amendment. And if it wasn't considered such, we would all be under legal jeopardy be TSF.
Shrek
(4,309 posts)maxsolomon
(37,356 posts)It's an aside, but who goes to Arizona in August? It's broiling hot every day.
DavidDvorkin
(20,344 posts)From the article:
The right hates the law that was used for this arrest.
FakeNoose
(38,627 posts)Besides that, this guy is Irish and he's currently living in Arizona. He posts something on Xwitter, an American company the last time I checked. He flies to England and gets arrested by UK police.
muriel_volestrangler
(104,693 posts)He then wrote on Substack that during his police interview following the arrest, "I explained that the 'punch' tweet was a serious point made with a joke", and that it was about "the height difference between men and women... and certainly not a call to violence".
His second post from X appeared to be an aerial shot of a group of protesters in a town centre, and he called it "a photo you can smell".
The third expressed his views, in which he said "I hate them", referring to "misogynists and homophobes", adding an expletive.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07p7v2nn8mo
Yeah, that's how it works. Incite violence internationally, and you can get arrested when you travel to a country where inciting violence is illegal. But he's closely associated with the UK (his ex-wife is English, and they lived there for at least part of their marriage; I imagine their children live with her (because his behaviour has been such that most courts would not give him custody of children). Most of his TV work has been with British TV companies).
He trawled dating apps (who advertise on registration that they are trans friendly/allow trans people there) and posted pictures of the people there claiming they're trying to trick women or whatever. Calls anyone who is vaguely an ally or friend to trans people "groomers" (implying they're peaedophiles). Claimed to be railing against men who "speak over women" yet shouted down the many women who are fine with trans people.
Trying not to say this pejoratively, but the man is in deep need of therapy. Not for his opinions, but his behaviour.
https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/3680/4/
reACTIONary
(6,706 posts)... a good half or more of the population would be eligible for arrest. And with TSF in charge of the DOJ, it would our half, not his.
RandomNumbers
(18,896 posts)I do recall seeing plenty of posts from liberal / lefty / not right-wing-whackos, supporting "punching Nazis" .
If posting a desire to punch someone will get you thrown in jail, it's going to be a crowded place.
Polybius
(20,858 posts)They arrested an ex-foreign leader once, who happened to be on a diplomatic mission.
Fix The Stupid
(986 posts)Are du'ers OK with the government arresting people for this?
What's going to happen when you post about 'punching nazi's' (literally, 100's of posts on this site, saying exactly that...) and the repubs start arresting people for similar speech?
Again, for the love of gawd, please stop taking the 10% side in the 90-10 issues... it is what has got us to this point now.
This should be an easy one for everyone here:
"We do not agree with any government arresting it's citizenry based on social media posts".
How can that be controversial? How that can be a right-wing talking point?
Please...wake up.
DavidDvorkin
(20,344 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(104,693 posts)Yes, I think that posting on social media "punch (group X)" is incitement to violence, and so should be arrestable. I'd rather see a well-known figure who has significant people reading his posts be arrestable for saying "punch trans women" than "everyone can say 'punch Nazis' without it ever being arrestable". Being able to say "punch Nazis" is not a significant part of my desirable lifestyle. There are situations - and the current UK is one - where being able to lessen the harm to innocent people (trans women) is something I want the state to be able to do.
What you have isn't a "right-wing talking point", so much as a libertarian talking-point.
yardwork
(68,038 posts)The British have strict laws about hate speech. If you disagree with them, well, don't move to Britain.