A 47-year-old autistic man was hauled from his North Yorkshire home at 9.30pm and arrested for sharing a social media post containing the words “f*** Hamas”, in what critics are calling a chilling assault on free speech in Britain.
Pete North, a political blogger and commentator from Easingwold, was arrested on Thursday night on suspicion of a public order offence after two officers arrived at his door refusing to initially reveal which specific post had triggered their visit. The arrest has sparked outrage from free speech advocates who say police are acting like “the Stasi of East Germany”.
Video footage of the arrest, which Mr North shared online and has been viewed over 800,000 times, shows an officer telling him: “We got a report… I’d say about a month ago. In essence, you posted something on the internet that they didn’t appreciate. Basically our hate crime team have reviewed and there are offences there we need to explore.
The controversial post, shared on 5 August on X (formerly Twitter), consisted of an image of a Palestinian flag overlaid with text reading: “F*** Palestine, f*** Hamas, f*** Islam. Want to protest? F*** off to Muslim country and protest.”
Mr North was bundled into what he described as a police “snatch van” and driven 30 minutes to Harrogate police station, where he was held in an outdoor exercise compound for several hours before being interviewed at 1am. He was eventually released on bail at 1.30am and had to make his own way home by taxi, arriving at 3am.
In a shocking revelation about the interview, Mr North claimed the arresting officer appeared unaware of basic facts about Hamas. “I said, ‘yeah, I did post a meme that said f*** Hamas because Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation internationally, including in Britain. Just so we’re on the same page, you do know who Hamas are?'” Mr North recalled.
“And he just looked gormlessly and shook his head. And so you don’t know anything about October 7? I briefly explained to him what happened at the Nova music festival. He was totally oblivious. If you’re going to arrest people for memes you probably need to pay more attention to current affairs.”
The blogger, who is autistic and suffers from Tourette’s syndrome and severe claustrophobia, said being locked in the police van triggered what he described as an “autism episode” with palpitations. His wife was left alone at home “in bits” after he was taken away.
Mr North was questioned about whether he knew Tommy Robinson had shared the same image, with officers asking: “Are you aware that he was the first person to post this meme?” He responded that this was not how memes work and that he simply agreed with the sentiment when he posted it.
“I was asked whether I intended to incite racial hatred by posting the meme. I replied that Islam is not a race. I had not intended to stir up racial hatred. I simply agree with the premise of the meme,” Mr North said.
The arrest has drawn fierce criticism from free speech advocates. Toby Young, head of the Free Speech Union, said Mr North’s treatment was “reminiscent of the Stasi in East Germany” and suggested he may have grounds for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment.
“Last time I checked, criticising a proscribed terrorist organisation and its supporters isn’t a criminal offence,” Young said, confirming the Free Speech Union is now assisting Mr North with his case.
Mr North himself was scathing about the police priorities, writing: “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 they’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.”
The blogger, a former UKIP activist and veteran of the Brexit movement, has vowed to fight the charges and sees the arrest as politically motivated intimidation. “Nobody should be facing police inquiries for posting memes on Twitter,” he declared. “This exercise is not to win convictions. It’s to terrorise people like me into thinking twice about posting spicy memes.”
He added: “The process is the punishment, and this was meant to intimidate. They see people like me as ringleaders online and they know my arrest will have a chilling effect.”
The incident comes amid mounting concerns about free speech in Britain, with data showing police are making over 30 arrests per day for “offensive” online communications. According to custody data obtained by The Times, officers made 12,183 arrests in 2023 under communications laws that criminalise messages causing “annoyance”, “inconvenience” or “anxiety” – a 58% rise since before the pandemic.
Critics point out that most of these arrests do not result in convictions, yet individuals are subjected to police detention and reputational damage for expressing controversial views. Civil liberties groups warn of a chilling effect on free speech as police forces dedicate teams to monitoring social media while violent crime goes unsolved.
The arrest has also highlighted concerns about police understanding of autism and related conditions. Mr North warned: “The police are completely ignorant in their understanding of autism and related conditions. That ignorance will end up killing somebody more vulnerable than me.”
North Yorkshire Police confirmed the arrest in a statement: “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 inquiries continue.”
Mr North has been released on unconditional bail until 21 December, when he must report back to Harrogate police station to learn whether the Crown Prosecution Service will press charges. The maximum penalty under Section 19 of the Public Order Act is seven years in prison.
The arrest occurred against a backdrop of international concern about Britain’s approach to free speech. Even US officials have raised alarms, with Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump expressing worry about what they see as a crackdown on freedom of expression in the UK.
Lord Lebedev recently warned in a House of Lords debate that Britain is in a “state of free speech emergency”, citing the dramatic increase in arrests for online communications and the presence of dedicated police teams monitoring social media in every force.
Mr North remained defiant after his release, stating: “I wholly endorse the meme I shared. Hamas is a proscribed terrorist group in the UK. The Palestine flag is the flag of Islamo-leftist revolution and the agenda it represents is committed to the extermination of Jews.”
He concluded: “I will fight this all the way, and I will not surrender.”
The case has reignited debate about the balance between preventing genuine hate speech and protecting legitimate criticism of terrorist organisations and political ideologies. As Britain grapples with these issues, many fear that heavy-handed policing of social media is creating a climate of self-censorship that threatens the foundations of free expression.
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