The combination of courage and humor can defeat tyrants.
Alas, advocates of truth and freedom will need those qualities in the modern United Kingdom, where tyranny reigns.
Thursday in London, Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan, on trial for alleged harassment of a transgender activist, appeared at the courthouse wearing sandwich board-style protest signs.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘Transgender Child,’” one side of the board read.
The simple message on the other side also rang true: “Keep Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
A short clip posted to the social media platform X showed Linehan wearing the signs outside the courthouse.
Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan arrives for trial over alleged harassment of a transgender woman pic.twitter.com/dOTDtXoDK9
— Irish Daily Mirror (@IrishMirror) September 4, 2025
According to the BBC, Linehan stands accused of “harassment and criminal damage against a transgender woman.”
The supposed victim, identified as 18-year-old Sophia Brooks, has alleged harassment on social media in October, as well as damage to his phone.
Throughout its story, of course, the BBC referred to the alleged victim as “Ms. Brooks” or “her.” The U.K.’s Independent did likewise. But people of sound mind refuse to use those female-identifying contractions or pronouns.
In February, Linehan shared a lengthy X post accusing Brooks, a “trans identifying male known as ‘Tarquin,’” of serious crimes.
This is just one victim of Tarquin, who the @metpoliceuk have just dropped an investigation into despite a 400-page evidence dossier compiled by his victims. Convicted sex offender and conman @flyinglawyer73 is giving him legal advice. https://t.co/qDswhAZCIL
— Graham Linehan ????️ (@Glinner) February 26, 2025
Meanwhile, Linehan has no reason to trust the modern UK’s “justice” system.
Tuesday on Substack, for instance, the comedy writer described his recent arrest at London’s Heathrow Airport, where five armed officers took him into custody, threw him into a jail cell, and interrogated him over anti-transgender social media posts.
In other words, free speech does not exist in the modern U.K.
Moreover, as Vice President J.D. Vance told European tyrants to their faces in February, freedom has effectively vanished from Europe.
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, President Donald Trump’s State Department called Linehan’s arrest a “departure from democracy.”
Trump, of course, has often used his legendary humor to disarm the deep-state tyrants who targeted him for persecution.
In sum, until the people of the U.K. can restore their freedom, at least Linehan will have laughter going for him.
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