GRAHAM Linehan has shared an audio clip of the moment he was hauled away “like a terrorist” over “anti-trans” tweets.
The creator of Father Ted was arrested by five armed cops at Heathrow Airport after posting three tweets in which he was accused of “inciting violence”.
PAFather Ted comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested by armed police for tweets and has now released an audio clip[/caption]
He claimed he was escorted to hospital after he was arrested because the stress caused his blood pressure to skyrocket
There was uproar after Linehan was arrested over a series of tweets
Irish comedy writer Linehan says he was detained as soon as he disembarked a plane coming in from Arizona, and was “arrested at the airport like a terrorist”.
The 57-year-old claims he “laughed” in shock when he was informed he was being arrested over three tweets.
One tweet Linehan alleges he was arrested over read: “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.”
Another tweet was a picture of a trans demonstration and he wrote above it: “A photo you can smell.”
The third was a follow up which read: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”
Now, the writer has released audio of the exact moment he was arrested on his Substack blog.
A police officer could be heard telling him: “It is alleged that on the 19th April 2025 you published a post on X intended to instil hatred and incite violence.”
After being told he is under arrest for the posts on X, formerly Twitter, a furious Linehan shouts: “It’s just disgraceful.
“Holy s**t, I don’t f***ing believe it. I’m under arrest!? I’m going to sue you into the ground. How dare you?”
Linehan is then quizzed about whether he is on any medication.
The comedian was then heard yelling: “It’s f***ing infuriating. You scumbags are working for f***ing ***holes who go into women’s toilets.”
Linehan then criticises the police for targeting him for “standing up for women’s rights” in the audio recorded on Monday.
Linehan claimed earlier this week that he was escorted to hospital because the stress caused his blood pressure to skyrocket at the airport.
The Father Ted creator wrote on his blog: “The moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting. Not one, not two—five.
“They escorted me to a private area and told me I was under arrest for three tweets.
“I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online—all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic crossdressers.
“To me, this proves one thing beyond doubt: the UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.”
Linehan shared a photo seemingly from hospital and screenshots of his tweets.
The comedian’s arrest sparked fierce backlash and concern on social media from high-profile figures as well as the general public.
Legal and regulatory oversight of social media posts in the UK has become an increasingly contentious political topic over the past few years.
Reform leader Nigel Farage said he would raise the case of Linehan when he gives evidence to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington on free speech in the UK, during a hearing today.
The Reform boss will testify to a free speech investigation that the UK has “lost its way” and risks tearing apart transatlantic relations.
Mr Farage will directly blame Ofcom’s attempts to police American online content visible by Brits for hitting our economy and putting Sir Keir Starmer on a collision course with the White House.
Farage said: “The Graham Linehan case is yet another example of the war on freedom in the UK.
“I will discuss this, the Lucy Connolly case and the increasing role of our police in non-crime ‘hate’ incidents on Capitol Hill tomorrow.
“Free speech is under assault and I am urging the USA to be vigilant.”
‘POLICE STREETS NOT TWEETS’
Labour backbencher Jonathan Hinder said the arrest showed the need for a “serious reset to get the priorities right” in policing.
Meanwhile, Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described the incident as “ridiculous and a complete waste of police time”.
In a post on X, he said: “The police only respond to 1 in 5 reported shoplifting offences, but deploy 5 armed officers to arrest a comedian over three tweets.
“We desperately need to end this nonsense and go after actual criminals.”
Downing Street declined to comment on Linehan’s arrest on Tuesday, saying it was “an operational matter for the police”.
But a No 10 spokesperson added: “The prime minister and the home secretary have been clear about where their priorities for crime and policing are, and that’s tackling anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, street crime, as well as reducing serious violent crimes like knife crime and violence against women.”
When asked about the Linehan case on the BBC’s Today programme, Streeting echoed those words.
“As the prime minister and home secretary have been clear, we want the police to focus on policing streets rather than tweets,” the health secretary said.
Piers Morgan called the arrest “absolutely ridiculous” and added: “When it comes to free speech, Britain’s turning into North Korea.”
A Met Police spokeswoman confirmed an arrest was made at Heathrow on Monday but did not identify Linehan.
In a statement, the force said: “On Monday 1 September at 1pm officers arrested a man at Heathrow Airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight.
“The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.
“After being taken to police custody, officers became concerned for his health and he was taken to hospital. His condition is neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
“He has now been bailed pending further investigation.”
AlamyLinehan performs as part of a Comedy Unleashed stand up show outside the Scottish Parliament[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
