I don’t regret my online posts

Vinnie O’Dowd, BBC reporter, Helen Bushby, Tradition reporter & Lucy Manning, particular correspondentWatch: No regrets over airport arrest tweet, says LinehanFather Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has informed BBC Information he stands by his posts on X which led to his arrest final week, over his views on difficult “a trans-identified male” in “a female-only house”.”I do not remorse something I’ve tweeted – typically I’ve tweeted a bit extra out of anger, due to the frustration that no-one’s taking note of this difficulty,” he mentioned. Talking about his arrest, he mentioned: “I bought very, very indignant, as a result of for eight years now, I have been standing up for ladies’s rights and making an attempt to get folks’s consideration about what’s occurring to children in gender clinics.”Final week the author was arrested by 5 officers after arriving at Heathrow on a flight from the US.The arrest sparked a backlash from some public figures and politicians, and prompted a fierce debate about policing and free speech.Recalling his flight, which landed within the UK on 1 September, he mentioned he “realised one thing was up” when nobody on the aircraft was allowed to face up. “I did not anticipate it to be what it turned out to be. After which they referred to as my title out and I believe I instantly knew what was going to occur,” he mentioned. He was then met by 5 armed law enforcement officials, who defined he was going to be arrested due to his on-line posts. He mentioned he had a robust response to being arrested as a result of “for eight years I have been harassed, typically by the identical small group of males, but in addition by a wider neighborhood on-line”. ‘A slap within the face’When requested if the tone he took in his posts could possibly be described as “vicious and private to trans folks” and if he had tried to “decrease the temperature a bit” in what he writes, he mentioned: “I’ve tried a number of instances, however you at all times get met by a slap within the face. “So if folks come to me in good religion, I’ll converse again to them in good religion. If folks insult me, I’ll insult them.”Final week Linehan shared display screen photographs of the three X posts from April he mentioned he was arrested for on Substack, the subscription-based on-line platform.The primary publish, from his X feed, mentioned: “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only house, he’s committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, name the cops and if all else fails, punch him within the balls.”It was put to him that what he wrote was insulting and violent, and he agreed, however mentioned: “Ladies have a proper to defend themselves from unusual males of their areas.”‘I had my profession destroyed’Graham Linehan chatting with Lucy Manning about his arrestLinehan mentioned he can be suing the police “for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment.”On 3 September the pinnacle of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, defended the officers concerned, however mentioned he recognised “concern attributable to such incidents given differing views on the stability between free speech and the dangers of inciting violence in the actual world”.He referred to as on the federal government to “change or make clear” the legislation following Linehan’s arrest, whereas Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer mentioned police should “give attention to essentially the most critical points”, when requested in regards to the arrest.Inexperienced Celebration chief Zack Polanski referred to as the posts “completely unacceptable”, saying the arrest appeared “proportionate”, whereas Shami Chakrabarti, a Labour peer and ex-director of Liberty, a civil liberties group, mentioned “the general public order statute e-book and speech offences specifically do want an overarching overview”.”However inciting violence should at all times be a legal offence,” she added.Linehan informed the BBC he didn’t really feel he had a future within the UK. “I discover the UK culturally a desert. I’m disgusted with all my outdated colleagues in comedy and theatre who’ve simply watched as I have been crushed up at nighttime by these folks,” he mentioned.”So I do not actually wish to have something to do with them, I do not assume there actually is something for me right here.”He mentioned the US “actually feels prefer it values free speech”, including: “It simply appears like I can chill out slightly bit extra in America. I do know I will not get my collar felt for telling a joke.”The Irish comedy author, who additionally created TV comedies The IT Crowd and Black Books, spoke in regards to the affect of being “cancelled”.”I had my profession destroyed, I had my [upcoming Father Ted] musical taken away, I had my marriage taken away. I do not know why folks anticipate me to be all sunshine and roses,” he mentioned.Linehan can be dealing with a separate cost of harassment – which he denied in Westminster Magistrates Court docket final week. The prosecution alleges he “relentlessly” posted abusive feedback about Sophia Brooks, 18, on social media final October, earlier than throwing her cellphone in a street.However the author informed the courtroom courtroom his life has been “made hell” by transgender activists, together with one he’s accused of harassing.The case was adjourned till 29 October, with Linehan launched on bail.