In August, Yorkshire, UK, resident Pete North posted the following on social media, superimposed over a Palestinian flag:
F--- Palestine. F--- Hamas. F--- Islam. Want to protest? F--- off to Muslim country and protest. (sic)
It’s not exactly a Winston Churchill speech, but compared to the soaring rhetoric from other denizens of X, it’s fairly vanilla, while not quite the equivalent of a Hallmark greeting.
Since this happened in the UK, it was only a matter of time before the police came knocking at North’s door. That time happened to be on Sept. 25 at 9:30 in the evening. According to a report in The Telegraph, the North Yorkshire police had received word that someone did not “appreciate” North’s post, and officers went to his home to arrest him. They explained to York that the hate crime team had determined “there are offenses there that we need to explore.” As murky as that may sound, it was still an arrest under Section 19 of the Public Order Act. The paper explained that Section 19 deals with “written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting” and “stir[s] up racial hatred.”
Unfortunately, stories like these are well on their way to becoming commonplace in the newly minted Airstrip One. People run afoul of the law for social media posts, protests, and for “praying in their heads.” Even expressions of patriotism are becoming offensive, as one 16-year-old girl in Newcastle learned when a Police Officer Liaison ripped a Union Jack out of her hands.
So, as far as Mr. North goes, nothing to see here, comrade, move along. But back to his story. He said that once he got to the station, the following exchange took place:
[Mr. North] recalled: “The officer in the interview said, ‘Well, firstly, let’s start with the meme. You posted a meme that said, f--- 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?’ And he just looked gormlessly and shook his head.
“‘And so you don’t know anything about Oct 7?’ And 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.”
North was released on bail, and the investigation is ongoing.
Related: Are the UK and EU Censoring Charlie Kirk, Bible Gateway, and the Hallow App?
The whole affair, like much of what is going on in England, is chilling. But it is noteworthy that, according to North, the officer had no idea who Hamas is and had nary a clue about the events of October 7, 2023. There are several explanations, and all of them are disquieting:
- The officer is so ignorant about current events and world affairs that he honestly has no idea about the October 7 attacks or terrorism.
- He is aware of these situations, but since they did not directly impact him, he couldn’t be bothered to learn the facts.
- He supports the popular opinions about Israel, terrorism, and the growing oppression of dissenting ideas in the UK.
Then there is a fourth option. He may know that Hamas is a terrorist organization, and that the country is slipping away right out from under its citizens’ feet. He may know that his nation is merely a few inches away from complete totalitarianism. He may know all of those things, and he may not like them one bit. But he also knows that just as it is his job to watch the public, there is likely somebody watching him. Perhaps he knows that he is just one wrong thought away from being fired or ending up on the wrong side of an interrogation.
If my hypothesis is correct, maybe not for this officer, but for others in and out of government, it is one of the ways that tyrants conquer. Tyrants conquer through force and through manipulation of the press and public opinion. But they also conquer when people are too frightened to speak up and would rather avoid the risk. Of course, these people will learn that under totalitarianism, you can never be devoted enough to the cause, and one day, the hunters become the hunted by the very entity they serve.
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