Police ‘Transphobia’ Investigation Breached The Right to Freedom of Expression

Case information
Incident date
Country
United Kingdom
Place
Lincoln
Categories
  • Government Restrictions
Attack Against
  • Morals
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Radical Left
Societal Sphere
  • Governmental
  • Media
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Insult or Incitement
Religious Freedom / Discrimination
  • Freedom of Expression
Place of Incident
  • Internet
  • Private Home
Bias Indicators
  • Comments/Written Statements/Gestures/Graffiti
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated
Image credit: BBC

On the 25th January, a discussion started after Harry Miller, an ex-policeman, was called by the Humberside Police to check about some complaints about his posts on Twitter. In one Tweet he questioned if transgender women would be real women. The police officer had to "check the thinking", although he had committed no crime. After being reported as a "hate incident", Miller sued the police for breaching free speech. The court declared the intervention of the police "unlawful" in February.

Miller claimed that this was "shutting down free speech" and compared the situation to the 1984 Orwell Novel of a totalitarian system, he also clarified not being transphobic.

Sources