Graham Linehan To Sue Police After Being Arrested Over Transgender Tweets

Massive debate in the UK right now over free speech and the regulation of online hate speech after Father Ted creator Graham Linehan was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday over three Tweets he published in April 2025.

The Tweets were deemed to ‘incite violence against transgender individuals, with one reading: “If a [trans woman] is in a female-only space, [s]he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch [her] in the balls.”

Linehan, 57, was intercepted by five officers at Heathrow upon landing from Arizona. He was released on bail with the condition that he must not post on X/Twitter, which is basically capital punishment for a guy who Tweets as much as Linehan.

The Metropolitan Police have stated that the investigation is ongoing, and no formal charges have been filed as of now. Interestingly, at the same time, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has called for a review of the current laws, acknowledging that the arrest was made on ‘reasonable grounds’ but criticising the vague and politicised nature of current legislation as it pertains to ‘hate speech’.

As such, Graham Linehan has expressed his intention to sue the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest and is being backed by the Free Speech Union.

Per The Telegraph, Linehan said: “This was a horrible glimpse of the dystopian clown show that Britain has become.

“The Free Speech Union will support me by providing lawyers to advise on a claim against the Met Police for wrongful arrest and wrongful imprisonment in the hope that no one else is treated like a terrorist for speaking their mind on social media.”

Linehan has already lost his wife, friends and work opportunities over his anti trans activism, which I think is fair to say is an obsession at this point. On Christmas day one year, while he was married, he was posting Tweets about trans people solidly throughout the day. Even a rant about his divorce and his kids not talking to him quickly devolved into an anti trans rant. Even the people who agree with him on the trans issue don’t want anything to do with him – he’s that far gone!

Fair play if it’s something he feels that strongly about, but it’s a little crazy that he’s allowed it to wreck his personal and professional life, and now got him in trouble with the law too. Will be interesting to see how the investigation into his Tweets pan out, and what precedent it sets for these kinds of Tweets in the future.

For Robert De Niro’s reaction to his 29-year-old daughter coming out as a trans woman, click HERE.