Free speech activist Brendan O’Neill has condemned police officers for visiting journalist Allison Pearson’s home on Remembrance Sunday over a social media post from last year.
O’Neill criticised the timing of the police visit, which occurred on a day dedicated to commemorating those who died fighting for freedom.
The incident involved two officers arriving at the 64-year-old journalist’s door to inform her she was under investigation for a tweet posted in 2023.
According to The Telegraph, Pearson was told she was being investigated for “stirring up racial hatred” related to a post that has since been removed.
When she inquired about her accuser, the officer corrected her terminology, stating: “It’s not the accuser, they’re called the victim.”
Essex Police confirmed they had launched an investigation under section 17 of the Public Order Act 1986, concerning material allegedly “likely or intended to cause racial hatred”.
Allison Pearson was visited by police
GB NEWS
Brendan O’Neill spoke on GB News
GB NEWS
The specific content of the social media post was not disclosed to Pearson during the visit.
Speaking to GB News, O’Neill emphasised the significance of the timing, stating: “On any day of the week, but on Remembrance Sunday, when we’re commemorating the millions of men in Britain and other parts of Europe who have their lives in the fight for freedom.”
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He described the situation as “terrifying” and called the Remembrance Sunday timing “the icing on the cake.”
The visit occurred on a day that O’Neill described as “fundamentally about commemoration and liberty.”
Brendan O’Neill criticised the police’s timing
GB NEWS
Essex Police explained that the investigation stemmed from “a report passed to us by another force” regarding a social media post that was later removed.
A police spokesman said officers attended Pearson’s address “to invite a woman to attend a voluntary interview on the matter.”
O’Neill concluded by urging both police and government to reform their policies, stating: “The police really need to have a word with themselves, change their policies, and the Government needs to change their policies to make sure that no journalist ever has the cops knocking on their door like this again.”