“This is totalitarianism”: Elon Musk and J.K Rowling defend Graham Linehan following arrest over trans community tweets

Graham Linehan, an Irish writer of comedy, and the creator of the successful comedies Father Ted and The IT Crowd, has reignited the debate about free speech in the United Kingdom after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport for tweets he had made about the transgender community.

The 57-year-old was arrested on Monday after he arrived at Heathrow from Arizona after being detained under caution by five armed Metropolitan Police officers. Linehan said the arrests were related to three posts he made on X / Twitter in April.

In one of the statements he remarked that if a "trans-identified male" entered a women-only space, it was clearly a "violent, abusive act," and stated that bystanders should intervene in such acts.

"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," the comic wrote.

The arrest has faced backlash from public figures, who see policing social media in this way as overreach, and undermining free expression. Author J.K. Rowling, who has often been publicly at odds with trans activists on social media, denounced the action outright, saying:

"What the f**k has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable."

What the fuck has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable. https://t.co/CRl2n9rorh

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 2, 2025

Tech billionaire Elon Musk shared his thoughts and called Britain a “police state" as a result of the incident. Television presenter Piers Morgan called the arrest "ridiculous," stating that sending armed officers to respond to tweets that seem controversial was misguided.

Conservative MPs Neil O'Brien and Robert Jenrick criticized the police, stating that the police could use their resources better by dealing with real crime such as burglaries or knife crime.

Graham Linehan's health update amidst the arrest and response by the police

Later, police confirmed they had arrested Graham Linehan on suspicion of encouraging violence regarding posts on X. Graham Linehan was taken to a hospital after he had a temporary health scare when police became concerned about his blood pressure while they were taking his official statement.

"The doctors suggested the high blood pressure was stress-related, combined with long-haul travel and lack of movement. I feel it may also have been a contributing factor that I have now spent eight years being targeted by trans activists working in tandem with police in a dedicated, perseistent harassment campaign," Linehan wrote in his Substack page.

He was released on bail with just one restriction which stated that he cannot post on X until further notice.

Graham Linehan has been arrested at Heathrow by 5 police upon his return to the UK.

His crime was these 3 posts.

He was taken to hospital after his blood pressure spiked, and has been banned from posting on X.

Freedom of speech is dead in the UK.@Glinner @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/fhYWr49fS6

— Billboard Chris 🌎 (@BillboardChris) September 2, 2025

The Metropolitan Police however, would not confirm Graham Linehan's identity but indicated that aviation officers made the arrest and that the firearms carried by the unit were not drawn during the operation.

According to BBC, a government spokesperson refused to comment on the particulars but agreed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government would be focused on antisocial behavior, shop lifting, and violent crime.

The Free Speech Union, a UK advocacy group, said it would finance Graham Linehan’s legal defense. Founder Toby Young said the arrest was “disproportionate” and that heavy-handed policing over what people say online, was tainting the UK’s reputation abroad.