If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Graham Linehan, the creator of Father Ted and The IT Crowd, is planning to sue the London Metropolitan Police after his arrest at Heathrow Airport over comments he made on social media. His detention, which involved five armed officers as he returned from the United States, has reignited public anger over the police’s expanding role in ideological enforcement rather than the maintenance of public safety. The arrest stemmed from several posts Linehan made online. Linehan, describing his experience as surreal and oppressive, said, “This was a horrible glimpse of the dystopian clown show that Britain has become.” Backed by the Free Speech Union, he is now launching legal action for wrongful arrest and a breach of his civil liberties. Mark Rowley, head of the Metropolitan Police, acknowledged widespread public discontent and alleged that vague laws have put officers in untenable positions. He insisted that officers should avoid being dragged into “culture war” territory and that only posts posing a clear threat to public order or safety would now warrant police involvement. “Most reasonable people would agree that genuine threats of physical violence against an identified person or group should be acted upon,” said Rowley. “But when it comes to lesser cases, where there is ambiguity in terms of intent and harm, policing has been left between a rock and a hard place.” He confirmed plans to present proposals to the government for legal reforms and to begin trialling new guidelines on handling online speech. Though, Rowley defended the arrest under existing legal frameworks, citing current laws that can criminalize threats directed toward protected groups. Still, he signaled that the legal system itself is overdue for change. What makes this even more baffling is how avoidable it was. The tweets are public. They’re there, plainly visible, for anyone, including the police, to read and evaluate. So if officers felt they had to investigate, why the dramatic airport ambush? Why not a phone call? Why not an invitation to attend a voluntary interview? Or a scheduled meeting at a police station? Why are they investigating this at all? Instead, they opted for a full-scale operation, handcuffing Linehan and detaining him for 16 hours. This, despite the fact that they already knew exactly why he was returning to the UK: to attend a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. There was no risk of flight. There was no uncertainty about his whereabouts. Those supporting Linehan, including the Free Speech Union, are now looking into legal action against the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest and imprisonment. And part of the case will hinge on precisely this point, the sheer disproportionality of the response. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Graham Linehan to Sue Metropolitan Police Over Heathrow Arrest and Online Speech Dispute appeared first on Reclaim The Net.