British authorities are facing legal backlash after arresting a retired police officer over a social media post warning about rising antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attacks. Julian Foulkes, 71, a former special constable from Kent, England, was detained in November 2023 after responding to a pro-Palestinian post on X with the comment: “One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…” A move Foulkes has likened to being punished for a “thought crime.”
Foulkes said he was “shocked and flabbergasted” when officers arrived at his home, searched his property, and scrutinized his personal items—including a shopping list from his wife and books by British author Douglas Murray. One officer reportedly remarked on Foulkes’s shelf, calling it “very Brexit-y.”
Kent Police held Foulkes for eight hours, seized his devices, and issued him a formal caution—a legal warning typically used to avoid prosecution. He accepted the caution under duress, fearing it would prevent him from visiting his daughter in Australia. Now, he plans to sue the department for wrongful arrest, calling the ordeal a violation of free expression.
“This is absolutely an Orwellian-style thought crime,” Foulkes said. “It’s absolutely ridiculous because I sent a tweet which was reasonable in the circumstances and it was a tweet based on events I’d read about just the previous day and in the previous week.”
The post came amid surging anti-Israel protests across Europe. Foulkes expressed concern after rioters in Russia stormed an airport searching for Jewish travelers. His post referenced the possibility of similar events in the UK, yet authorities responded with an arrest.
Kent Police issued a public apology Monday, acknowledging mishandling the situation. “A subsequent review of the case by the force concluded that the caution was not appropriate in the circumstances and should not have been issued,” their statement read. “Kent Police apologizes to Mr Foulkes for the distress caused and how the report was investigated.”
The Free Speech Union is now raising funds to support Foulkes’s legal battle. Prominent voices in the U.S. have also raised alarm. Vice President JD Vance warned Europe in February against embracing “Soviet-era” censorship. At a White House briefing, British commentator Winston Marshall asked if the U.S. might grant political asylum to UK citizens prosecuted for “hate speech.”
“It was taken out of context… but it’s been quite astonishing to me especially as I served with them for 10 years,” Foulkes remarked.
