Earlier this year, Vice President J.D. Vance made many European politicians angry when he pointed out that the continent suppresses the free speech rights of citizens. In the weeks and months since his remarks, Europe has done little to prove Vice President Vance was wrong.
On September 2, British comedian Graham Linehan was arrested at Heathrow Airport by five armed police officers. His 'crime' was posting 'gender-critical' comments to X. After being apprehended, Linehan ended up in the hospital with high blood pressure and has vowed to sue the police, calling his arrest 'unlawful.' He's being backed by the Free Speech Union.
Author J.K. Rowling was one of the handful of celebrities to speak out for Linehan, asking what the U.K. has become and saying the arrest was 'totalitarian.'
In response to the backlash over Linehan's arrest, Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted Britain has free speech. But today, yet another video is making the rounds on social media showing authorities arresting a man for calling someone a 'muppet.'
🚨A man has been arrested in the UK for calling someone a 'muppet'
— Basil the Great (@Basil_TGMD) September 8, 2025
The Police are out of control.
I wish this was a joke.
It isn't.
Absolute insanity. pic.twitter.com/yHTXPtKFBL
In the U.K., 'muppet' is slang for a 'stupid person.' The police detained the man under Section 4 for a 'public order offense.'
This is not the first time we've seen video from the U.K. of people being arrested for 'offensive' speech. Back in August, a man protesting at the site of a proposed mosque was arrested after saying he 'loved bacon' to a Muslim person.
In October of last year, Lucy Connolly, a 42-year-old British mom, was sentenced to 31 months in prison for 'stirring up racial hatred' after the Southport riots of July 2024. Connolly deleted the posts but was still handed a nearly three-year sentence after urging 'mass deportation now' and to 'set fire' to hotels housing asylum seekers.
Connolly was released last month after serving 40% of her sentence.
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