Graham Linehan, creator of “Father Ted,” was arrested at Heathrow Airport on September 1, 2025, after getting off an American Airlines flight from Arizona with three controversial tweets about transgender people. The Metropolitan Police confirmed a man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence, related to posts made on X in April 2025.
Arrest Details
On arrival, Linehan was met by five armed officers and taken to a private area to be advised that he was arrested for three tweets that referenced inciting violence. One tweet 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.” Among many other condemnations, this tweet triggered a lot of debate over free speech, and harassment laws.
Legal and Health Issues
Linehan was being questioned by police and in the process had high blood pressure which required him to be observed in hospital. He was later described as being neither in a life-threatening condition or having a life-changing condition. He was released on bail with the condition that he cannot use Twitter (X) for the duration he is in the UK and will be questioned again in October 2025.
Public and Media Reaction
The arrest has raised the international agenda on free speech, online harassment and policing practices. There have been international reaction from prominent public champions of free speech, such as J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, who publicly denounced the arrest and charge, as well as others noting the complexity of social media conduct in the UK legal context.
Linehan has denied any harassment or criminal activity, and noted that his comments were.. “serious points expressed with humour” and accounted for the arrest and report on his version of events on his Substack blog.
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