- Have YOU been contacted by police over something you wrote online? Email lettice.bromovsky@dailymail.co.uk
British police officers have been accused of acting like the ‘Stasi of East Germany’ after they arrested a man last night over a social media post.
Pete North was arrested at around 9:30pm at his home in Easingwold for a public order offence after he shared a meme on August 5 on X which read: ‘F*** Hamas, F*** Palestine, F*** Islam. Want to protest? F*** off to a Muslim country and protest’.
The activist, who also has autism and tourettes, shared the exchange on his social media page where it has quickly gathered more than 800,000 views.
The clip shows two North Yorkshire officers confronting Pete and his wife as a ‘hate team’ have concluded that ‘there are offences there we need to explore,’ before going on to say there are concerns he is spreading ‘racial hatred’.
He is then arrested and taken to Harrogate police station for further questioning, where he remained in an outdoor cell for about four hours before being interviewed.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, North said: ‘I’m disgusted by the police, because they could have done this in an orderly, civil way, but they chose maximum intrusion, and it was essentially [being treated like] an act of terrorism.
‘They were trying to find evidence that I had intended to stir up racial hate with it. Which is unbelievable. It’s crass. The meme itself is a controversial sentiment, but controversial is not illegal, and it happens to be my opinion.’
North has since been release on unconditional bail until December 21 but said the tweet in question is still ‘a sentiment I wholly endorse’.
He added: ‘I’m quite shaken by the whole thing right now. I’ve not slept and I’m not likely to. I’ve always known my tweets were a bit spicy but to be snatched by a goon squad at night for a “F*** Hamas” meme is just breathtakingly outrageous and absurd.
‘My wife was mortified. She was left alone after I was snatched out of the house and she was in bits, but she is very stoic and she is my rock.’
Asked if he regretted posting he said: ‘I don’t regret at all expressing my solidarity for the principle of free speech. Not at all, because it was an act of solidarity with Tommy Robinson, who had been hauled over the coals for posting that meme.
‘The police have got machete gangs on the streets of London, they’ve got young kids stabbing each other to death, they’ve got crime soaring in every major town and they’ve have been telling us consistently that we’re under-resourced, we haven’t got enough people, but they can spare two plods to come out and snatch me in the middle of the night.
‘I have a right to express my opinion, and I will keep doing so even if the state wants to slam me in solitary confinement.’
Lord Young of Acton, head of the Free Speech Union told the Daily Mail: ‘Pete North is a member of the Free Speech Union and we’re on the case. The police’s behaviour is reminiscent of the Stasi in East Germany.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Pete has a case for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. Last time I checked, criticising a proscribed terrorist organisation and its supporters isn’t a criminal offence.’
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: ‘Following receipt of a report, a man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of publishing or distributing written material intended to stir up racial hatred. He has been released on bail while enquiries continue.’
It comes as Britain faces fierce criticism over a recent clampdown on free speech, which has seen people being arrested, convicted or jailed over posts made online.
The issue has even prompted concern from US President Donald Trump who warned earlier this month ‘strange things are happening over there, they are cracking down… I’m very surprised to see what’s happening’.
Earlier this month, controversial Father Ted creator Graham Linehan was arrested by five armed police at Heathrow Airport over comments he made online.
The 57-year-old was detained by officers after being accused of harassing a transgender woman with abusive comments and damaging her phone.
In one of the three tweets cited by the police at the point of arrest, Linehan had written: ‘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.’
However, his arrest sparked a furious backlash from politicians and free speech campaigners – and even led to Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, wading into the debate.
Mr Rowley has said officers should not be ‘policing toxic culture wars debates’ and warned ‘policing has been left between a rock and a hard place by successive governments’, with the law offering officers no option but to investigate Linehan’s tweets.
Speaking to BBC News last week, Linehan said he stood by his posts on X and claimed he would be seeking legal action.
‘I don’t regret anything I’ve tweeted – sometimes I’ve tweeted a bit more out of anger, because of the frustration that no-one’s paying attention to this issue,’ he said.
Speaking about his arrest, he said: ‘I got very, very angry, because for eight years now, I’ve been standing up for women’s rights and trying to get people’s attention about what’s happening to kids in gender clinics.’
Last month mother Lucy Connolly was released from jail after spending almost a year behind bars for writing a ‘racist’ tweet during 2024’s summer riots.
The 42-year-old was jailed after admitting to making the inflammatory post on X in the wake of the Southport attacks in July last year.
Connolly, who is the wife of Tory councillor Ray Connolly, pleaded guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred and was handed a 31-month sentence in October, having been held on remand following her arrest last August.
The post, which she later deleted, said: ‘Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.’
Connolly’s imprisonment had prompted allegations that she was a victim of ‘two-tier justice’, with claims that those with Right-wing views are treated more harshly than others in the UK.
