What happened when police questioned me for an alleged speech crime

A recent article by Carl Deconinck in Brussels Signal found French President Emmanuel Macron ordering the surveillance of libertarians, those of us sometimes called classical liberals. In the crosshairs of the Élysée are those who align with Argentinian President Javier Milei, President Donald Trump, and the head of X, Elon Musk. 

The central themes of both libertarians and classical liberals are a smaller state, less taxes, less regulation and above all, freedom of speech. The answer to bad speech is more speech, they argue. 

In another article in Brussels Signal, Chris Gattringer reported on over 75 non-government organisations (NGOs), church representatives and trade unions who have written to Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), demanding he clamps down on social media companies. 

Particularly with the rise of near unbridled free speech, especially on X, governments are concerned about conspiracy theories, hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation. In Britain the violent riots in Southport after the murder of three girls in July 2024, arguably social media posts may have had some bearing. 

No doubt in the European Union governments are relying on the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into full effect last year. It gives the power to clampdown on hate speech, misinformation, particularly that could affect public health, elections, or civic discourse. Fines of up to six per cent of worldwide turnover of a digital media company can be imposed for non-compliance. One would think that many companies would withdraw from the EU if given the full penalty. 

In Britain control is covered by the Public Order Act 1986 and the Communications Act 2003. The catch-all is “causing alarm and distress.” Pro-life people have been arrested near abortion clinics for praying in their head. A man was arrested in Hampshire for reposting on X an LGBT image arranged as a swastika. 

Labour is trying by law to end the encryption of Apples iCloud. They are also trying to get the Online Safety Act (OSA), passed in 2023 and set to be fully enforced in 2025, over the line. Multiple objections have delayed its implementation, not least for the controversial clause to delete posts which are “legal but harmful.”

The election of the left-wing Labour Party on the July 4, 2024 saw Sir Keir Starmer become prime minister. Against a backdrop of the October 7 Hamas atrocities in Israel, a vicious war of words raged and still rages on X. Since October 7 Britain has endured anti-Israel protests in London. A minority throw Nazi salutes, vile anti-Semitic images and chant the debatably genocidal “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Many are openly anti-West. 

I posted a meme whose legend invoked foul language and dismissed Islam eight months ago. As a journalist I received an email from the Metropolitan Police inviting me in for interview. I informed them of my reluctance. Exasperated, three weeks later, two police officer hand delivered a letter informing me I would be arrested if I did not attend. I assume they were looking for me to incriminate myself. After a no-comment interview I got a phone call for no further action a month ago. 

Nationally-known British journalist Allison Pearson, who writes for The Daily Telegraph, had police knock on her door on a Remembrance Sunday morning, November 10, 2024. Essex police had received a complaint from another force under Section 17 of the Public Order Act 1986 for material “likely or intended to cause racial hatred”. Like me, she was invited for an interview. 

Her crime was to caption an image of Greater Manchester Police officers holding the flag of Pakistani political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by deposed Prime Minister Imran Khan. Ms Pearson was alleged to have put the caption “How dare they. Invited to pose for a photo with lovely peaceful British Friends of Israel on Saturday police refused. Look at this lot smiling with the Jew haters.” It is believed she mistook the Pakistani flag for a Hamas flag and her words were seen as “racist and inflammatory,” a charge Ms Pearson denied. The Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute her.

Yesterday I was in touch with Ms  Pearson. She told me: “This is Orwellian and chilling in the effect it has on people’s ability to express controversial opinions or just to say something some people regard as unpleasant or not nice.”

Many commentators will sense the irony of the EU and governments clamping down on misinformation. Many see politicians as dishonest and untrustworthy. After decades the political establishment has lost the ability to set narratives through mainstream media. Many so-called conspiracy theories have been proved to be right. One of the reasons for the EU to intervene is on health. It is now generally accepted that the source of the COVID virus was the Wuhan laboratory in China. The COVID vaccine has led to short and long-term harms.

The political establishment is being fact checked, and they do not like it. On immigration most European voters want less or none. There is evidence of a worrying level of crime from asylum seekers, especially violence and sexual assault. This is notable in Britain. In some cases government statistics have confirmed the facts. The EU does not want parties like AfD, National Rally and the Reform Party anywhere near power. 

Many will see the attempt by NGOs in Germany, as reported in Brussels Signal, as misleading. A quick fact check of their funding found Brot für die Welt, a Protestant development and relief agency, BUNDjugend, an environmental youth organisation, Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland (OKFDE), who promote digital information, and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, a socialist think tank and educational institution, all receive German Federal funding. Some at Länder and EU levels too. How is that not a conflict of interests? 

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk will not take this lying down. The EU exports three times as many goods and services as they import. The EU’s economy and especially Germany’s may well go into recession if Trump imposes tariffs. As of March 5, they are imposed at a rate of 25 per cent to Mexico and Canada. 

Many will see this as no more than naked censorship in a post-democratic age. George Orwell may well be looking on aghast.