【】

发布时间：2025-09-11 05:47:35 来源：都市天下脉观察 作者：百科

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email

Ex-Mumford & Sons member sounds alarm over 'perilous state' of free speech after comedian's alleged UK arrest

Former Mumford & sons member Winston Marshall on the 'perilous state' of free speech in the U.K. after a comedian claims he was arrested over anti-transgender tweets and Coldplay's singer receiving backlash for embarrassing Israeli fans on stage.

In the anti-free speech community, the most intolerable form of speech often seems to be humor. For thousands of years, satire and parody have proven to be the most penetrating —and at times, irritating —forms of political speech. Even with absolute rulers, court jesters were often the few figures who could challenge a king. As Shakespeare wrote in "King Lear," "jesters do oft prove prophets."

In the case of comedian Graham Linehan, he has unwittingly become a prophet for the death of not just free speech but also humor in the United Kingdom. The co-creator of the U.K. sitcom "Father Ted" was arrested at London Heathrow Airport, allegedly over several social media posts criticizing transgender activists. The posts were not jokes, but political commentary.

Linehan ended up in the hospital after he said that he was met by five armed officers, who told him he was being arrested over three posts on X. In an essay published on his Substack about his arrest and hospitalization, Linehan shared that he felt the need as a comedic writer to emphasize, "no, I promise you, I am not making this up."

UK COMEDY WRITER GRAHAM LINEHAN ARRESTED OVER SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CRITICIZING TRANS ACTIVISTS

He said that officers interrogated him over an X post in which he wrote, "If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act." He added that people would be compelled to make a scene, call the police, or even "punch" the offender.

相关文章