Quote:Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has been arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of inciting violence over a series of gender-critical posts on the X social media platform.

The Irish comedy writer, 57, alleges that he was detained by five armed officers immediately after he stepped off the plane from Arizona.

Bafta-winning Linehan claimed online after being escorted to a private area, officers informed him he had been held “for three tweets”.

Several high-profile figures condemned the arrest, with Author JK Rowling labelling it “utterly deplorable” and Elon Musk descrbing the UK as a “police state”.

The Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, September 1 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.”

Quote:One of Linehan’s posts on X from April 20 said: “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.”

A second tweet, on April 19, was a picture of a trans rally with the caption: “A photo you can smell.”

The third was a follow up to this tweet which said: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”

(Sep 3 2025, 8:19 AM)Elsacat I admire his willingness to speak out on the topic, but he'd do himself a favor if he handled things more like J. K. Rowling and less like an obsessive who might be somewhat mentally ill.

(Sep 3 2025, 8:19 AM)Elsacat It's ridiculous to be arrested over those tweets, but the "if all else fails, punch him in the balls" does encourage violence. Without that sentence, I bet he never would have been arrested.

(Sep 3 2025, 8:19 AM)Elsacat I admire his willingness to speak out on the topic, but he'd do himself a favor if he handled things more like J. K. Rowling and less like an obsessive who might be somewhat mentally ill. It's ridiculous to be arrested over those tweets, but the "if all else fails, punch him in the balls" does encourage violence. Without that sentence, I bet he never would have been arrested.