A trade unionist has warned that Britain is becoming an “Orwellian” society where police are “ruthlessly” policing words rather than focusing on actual crimes.
Speaking on GB News, Paul Embery said the recent investigation into Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson highlighted a “creeping atmosphere” of police overreach.
“Either you reconcile the fact you may get a knock at the door for something you have said which isn’t a criminal offence or we say ‘we need to push back’, because this is becoming chilling,” he said.
“We police words as ruthlessly as we police actions. That’s the society we live in and it has to be challenged,” Embery added.
Paul Embery hit out at the investigation on GB News
GB NEWS
The investigation centres on a social media post made by Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson in 2023.
Two police officers arrived at Pearson’s door at 9:40am on Remembrance Sunday to inform her she was under investigation for allegedly stirring up racial hatred.
The matter was discussed on GB News
GB NEWS
The officers refused to tell her which specific post was being investigated or who had made the complaint against her.
Essex Police confirmed they were treating it as a criminal matter under section 17 of the Public Order Act 1986, relating to material allegedly “likely or intended to cause racial hatred”.
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Pearson branded the situation “Kafkaesque” and criticised Essex Police’s response to her speaking out.
“[Essex Police] say it was ‘unethical’ of me to report my awful experience at the hands of two constables,” she posted on social media.
Allison Pearson was visited by police GB NEWS
“The British people deserve to be informed about the Kafkaesque state of their justice system. Instead of solving frightening crime, police are frightening people,” she added.
Essex Police defended their actions, stating: “We police without fear or favour and when a crime is reported, we investigate. That’s what we do and that’s what the people of Essex expect.”
The force also claimed there had been “false reporting” about the ongoing investigation.
The Home Office is reviewing how police record non-crime hate incidents to ensure they are “proportionate” and protect free speech, Downing Street has confirmed.
The move comes amid widespread criticism of the Essex Police investigation from prominent figures.
Boris Johnson called the situation “appalling”, saying: “How can Starmer’s Britain lecture other countries about free speech when an innocent journalist gets a knock on the door – for a tweet?”
Nigel Farage described it as “Orwellian in the extreme”, adding: “We are very much in the territory of a thought crime here.”
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss called it “yet another affront to free speech.”