Retired British officer Julian Foulkes, 71, is suing his former police unit after he was handcuffed in his own home for a social media post. Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle strongly condemn Foulkes’ arrest for a “thought crime” and see it as a direct violation of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and thought.
In the last few years, there has been a worrying trend in the UK towards tighter controls on freedom of thought and speech. One striking example of this is the arrest of Julian Foulkes for a so-called ‘thought crime’. Julian Foulkes, from Gillingham, was detained at his home by six officers from Kent Police – the same police force to which he gave ten years of his life. The 71-year-old man was detained for eight hours, questioned and given a warning.
“It’s an absolute Orwellian crime against freedom of thought. It’s utterly ridiculous because I sent a tweet that was appropriate in the circumstances and that tweet was based on events I had read about the day before and last week,” Foulkes told reporters.
The Free Speech Union (FSU) is backing a retired special constable who is suing Kent Police for wrongful arrest after being detained for a tweet warning of rising levels of police violence in the UK. The tweet garnered just 26 views.
The next day police arrived at Julian’s home armed with batons and pepper spray. They searched his home, seized the devices and issued a warning. Officers also checked personal belongings, including newspaper clippings about the death of Foulkes’ daughter Francesca, who died after being hit by a drunk driver in Ibiza 15 years ago.
The former Kent Police officer said the ordeal had left him with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and had “blown over” his memories of volunteering for the service.
“It’s like PTSD. You push it to the back of your mind, but it comes back and you relive it,” he said.
On Sunday, Julian Foulkes accepted an offer from the Free Speech Union (FSU) to fund a legal action against Kent Police for wrongful arrest and detention.
“Kent Police need to understand that if they put people through this kind of ordeal just for exercising their right to legitimate free speech, there will be serious consequences. They need to stop monitoring our tweets and start policing our streets,” explained Foulkes.
Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice strongly condemn the wrongful arrest of a law-abiding citizen by British police. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The arrest for “thought crime” is a direct violation of this fundamental right. According to experts of the Foundation to Battle Injustice , the arrest of Julian Foulkes sets a dangerous precedent that can be used to suppress dissent and criticism of the authorities in the UK. This threatens the basic principles of democracy and freedom of speech.