Christians have expressed concern over the arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan last week, saying that it is indicative of two-tier justice in the UK.
Linehan, the writer behind comedy series Father Ted, was arrested upon arrival at Heathrow for comments made on X that allegedly incited violence against trans people.
The post read, “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.”
Christian Concern's Paul Huxley argued that, taken in context, Linehan was suggesting that an act of self-defence be used as a last resort by women.
He said that sending five armed officers to arrest Linehan was “wildly disproportionate”.
Apologist and commentator David Robertson has also hit out at Linehan's arrest, saying the incident was “profoundly disturbing”. He wondered, however, if it could mark a turning point for free speech in Britain.
“The vast majority of people, including many commentators, politicians and journalists, even some who have been indoctrinated into the trans cult, can see that sending armed police officers to arrest a man for a tweet, is a ludicrous overreach," Robertson said.
Police have been accused of applying laws selectively, with people like Linehan and Christian street preachers regularly facing arrest over spurious accusations, while pro-trans activists who advocate punching 'TERFs' (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists) face no sanctions.
Huxley attributes this apparently two-tier approach to the perception among the authorities that trans people are a weak victim class while Christians and gender-critical feminists are not.
Huxley fears that the supposedly free society we live in might not be as free as we think it is.
“Sometimes a totalitarian government clamps down on anything that is at odds with State doctrine," he said.
Free speech, Huxley argues, has flourished in traditionally Christian societies because, at heart, it is a recognition of the value of every human being and is also an application of Jesus’ command that we treat others as we wish to be treated.
Despite this, Huxley argues in favour of some limitations, reminding Christians that the Bible calls us to tame the tongue.
“There are plenty of false and unhelpful things anyone can say without getting into trouble with the law. We don’t need to be deliberately rude about other people, even though mere insults shouldn’t be criminal.
"Even if something is true doesn’t mean we always have to say it. Plenty of gossip is true, but should not be spread," he said.
