In the United Kingdom, a 71-year-old pensioner and former special Constable Julian Foolks received £ 20,000 in compensation after it was mistakenly arrested for a post on the social network X (former Twitter). The incident caused resonance among human rights activists and became the subject of criticism of police actions in the context of freedom of speech.
The events unfolded in 2023, when Fowlks published a comment to the news about an anti -Semitic attack in Dagestan, where the crowd stormed the airport in search of Jewish passengers. The pensioner compared this with a probable scenario in London, writing: "A step from the Hitrou storming in search of arriving Jews ..."
This comment appeared as a response to the discussion around the statement of the then Minister of Internal Affairs Suella Braverman, who called the Propalisian marches "hatred marches". One of the activists threatened her by the court, and Fowlks responded to it on the social network. A few days after his publication, six armed police officers, who used sticks and pepper spray, broke into the house of Julian Foulx. The pensioner was detained, fingerprints, DNA and photographs were taken. He was held in the chamber for eight hours, accusing him of "malicious communication". Initially, a shocked man found charges, but after legal advice - filed a lawsuit against the police. In May 2025, police acknowledged that the arrest was false. The main constable Tim Smith personally called the victim to apologize. Subsequently, the pensioner received an official letter of apology and compensation - £ 20,000.
The case was supported by the Union of Freedom of Speech, which emphasized the danger of excessive state intervention in the personal statements of citizens on social networks.
