Acting like the Stasi

On the other hand, in North Yorkshire:

British police officers have been accused of acting like the 'Stasi of East Germany' after they arrested a man last night over a social media post.

Pete North was arrested at around 9:30pm at his home in Easingwold for a public order offence after he shared a meme on August 5 on X which read: 'F*** Hamas, F*** Palestine, F*** Islam. Want to protest? F*** off to a Muslim country and protest'.

The activist, who also has autism and tourettes, shared the exchange on his social media page where it has quickly gather more than 800,000 views.

The clip shows two North Yorkshire officers confront Pete and his wife as a 'hate team' have concluded that 'there are offences there we need to explore,' before going on to say there are concerns he is spreading 'racial hatred'.

He is then arrested and taken to Harrogate police station for further questioning, where he remained in an outdoor cell for about four hours before being interviewed.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, North said: 'I'm disgusted by the police, because they could have done this in an orderly, civil way, but they chose maximum intrusion, and it was essentially [being treated like] an act of terrorism.

'They were trying to find evidence that I had intended to stir up racial hit with it. Which is unbelievable. It's crass. The meme itself is a controversial sentiment, but controversial is not illegal, and it happens to be my opinion.'

North has since been release on unconditional bail until December 21 but said the tweet in question is still 'a sentiment I wholly endorse'….

Lord Young of Acton, head of the Free Speech Union told the Daily Mail: 'Pete North is a member of the Free Speech Union and we're on the case. The police's behaviour is reminiscent of the Stasi in East Germany.

'I wouldn't be surprised if Pete has a case for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. Last time I checked, criticising a proscribed terrorist organisation and its supporters isn't a criminal offence.'