A High Court judge ruled in February that police acted unlawfully in their investigation into so-called ‘transphobic’ tweets, and suggested there was a creeping Orwellianism at work.
Humberside constabulary visited former policeman Harry Miller’s workplace after a complaint was made about tweets he sent challenging transgenderism. Miller founded the organisation ‘Fair Cop’ to challenge the police’s actions, arguing that the recording of non-crime ‘hate incidents’ was unlawful and that the police had breached his freedom of expression.
Partial victory
In his judgment, Mr Justice Julian Knowles, making reference to George Orwell’s 1984, highlighted the importance of freedom of expression. However, the ruling maintained that the police’s practice of recording ‘hate incidents’ is lawful. Harry Miller will now appeal this point to a higher court. Miller spoke outside the Royal Courts of Justice, saying: ‘We’ve made a stand for truth … Mr Justice Knowles has supported our stand for truth, for liberty, for freedom of speech.’
