A blogger has blasted British police after they arrested him for sharing a meme on social media that read “F— Hamas.”
Pete North, age 47, captured footage of police visiting his Yorkshire residence in the U.K. on Sept. 25, informing him he was under arrest due to “posting something online” that an officer from their hate crime division “didn’t appreciate.”
The alarming video captures a policeman stating that North faced arrest “on suspicion of creating or sharing written content aimed at inciting racial hatred.”
The controversial post, shared by North on X in August, displayed a Palestinian flag with the offensive message: “F— Palestine. F— Hamas. F— Islam. Want to protest? F— off to a Muslim country and protest.”
Two North Yorkshire officers came to arrest Pete North at home and took him to Harrogate police station.
North recounted to The Telegraph that he questioned the officer regarding Hamas’s actions, including civilian attacks on October 7. “He was completely unaware,” North asserted.
After being questioned for several hours, North was released without charge.
“I feel quite strongly that what political cartoons and memes I post on social media is none of the police’s business,” North said.
“No one should be under police scrutiny for sharing memes on Twitter. The main purpose of this action is not securing convictions. It’s to intimidate individuals like me into reconsidering posting bold memes,” he stated.
North Yorkshire Police validated the arrest, informing UK media: “A 47-year-old man was detained on suspicion of producing or disseminating written material designed to incite racial hatred. He is released under investigation as inquiries proceed.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to North Yorkshire Police for comment.
