Official announcements from the police or legal proceedings

Police Use 'Gold Group' to Investigate Journalist's Tweet; Badenoch Seeks Hate Law Review

Nov 15, 2024, 09:47 PM

Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson has come under police investigation over a year-old social media post, sparking a debate over free speech in the UK. Three police forces—Essex Police, Sussex Police, and the Metropolitan Police—were involved in the investigation into a tweet by Pearson that was alleged to stir up racial hatred. Essex Police reportedly set up a 'gold group', a unit typically reserved for major crimes or terror incidents, to handle the case. Officers visited Pearson's home to inform her of the investigation into potential incitement of racial hatred online. The police's actions have drawn criticism from politicians and public figures. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who is Pearson's constituency MP, called for a review of hate crime laws to protect free speech, stating it was 'absolutely wrong' for police to visit a journalist's home over a tweet. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized the 'thought police' in the UK, comparing it to 'the Soviet Union at its worst'. The incident has intensified discussions on policing of social media and the balance between free speech and hate speech laws.