Despite government’s proposals to stop it, British citizens are still being arrested over alleged speech offenses.
Police officers from the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) Surrey Police force arrested journalist Caroline Farrow after she was reported for allegedly posting a “grossly offensive message.” The officers seized Farrow’s electronic devices, questioned her at Guildford Police Station, and released her under investigation.
Farrow has denied posting the messages, said that she was falsely accused of posting messages wrote by other people, and described the police’s actions as “absurd.”
“I haven’t sent any threatening or indecent messages,” Farrow tweeted. “I was shown posts from KiwiFarms written by other people. I suspect these are the grossly indecent and threatening messages.”
In a statement, Surrey Police said: “When we receive an allegation of a crime, in this instance one where a grossly offensive message is said to have been communicated, it is our job to assess it alongside any available evidence to identify if an offence has been committed. If it has, we gather further evidence and carry out an investigation to prove or disprove the allegation. That is exactly the process that is being followed in this case.”
