A police force is reviewing an investigation into a retired special constable who was arrested over a social media post regarding the threat of anti-Semitism. The Telegraph has the story.
Julian Foulkes, 71, was handcuffed at his home by six officers from Kent Police – the same force he had served for a decade – after he replied to a pro-Palestinian activist on X.
Over the course of eight hours on Nov 2 2023, the pensioner was interrogated and ultimately issued with a caution.
Last week, Kent Police confirmed that the caution was a mistake, that it had been deleted from Mr Foulkes’s record and that the formal warning was “not appropriate in the circumstances and should not have been issued”.
After the publication of Mr Foulkes’s story in The Telegraph, Chief Constable Tim Smith rang him to apologise on behalf of the force for the distress caused and the way the matter was investigated.
However, The Telegraph now understands that Mr Smith has also ordered an internal review, which the force’s professional standards department will lead.
This department is responsible for receiving, recording and investigating public complaints and misconduct allegations.
If it deems there is sufficient evidence, a misconduct hearing will be convened which can see officers dismissed from their jobs.
Mr Foulkes’s X post, sent two days before police visited his home, was a reaction to news reports of an anti-Semitic mob storming an airport in Dagestan, Russia, looking for Jewish passengers.
It was a reply intended to challenge a supporter of pro-Palestinian marches, who had threatened to sue Suella Braverman, the home secretary at the time, for calling the London demonstrations “hate marches”.
In the post, Mr Foulkes wrote: “One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…”
He later said it would have been better had it begun “What next? You are…”, but said his meaning was clear regardless.
However, on Nov 1, the Metropolitan Police Intelligence Command flagged the tweet to Kent Police, citing “concerns around online content”. The post had just 26 views, and had not been reported by the public.
The next day, six officers arrived at Mr Foulkes’s home, armed with batons and pepper spray. He was arrested, booked, fingerprinted, photographed and swabbed for DNA.
Police body-worn camera footage captured officers scrutinising Mr Foulkes’s collection of books by authors such as Douglas Murray, a Telegraph contributor, and issues of The Spectator, pointing to what they described as “very Brexity things”.
Officers also rifled through private items, including newspaper clippings about Mr Foulkes’s daughter Francesca, who was killed in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver in Ibiza 15 years ago.
Though he had committed no offence, Mr Foulkes accepted the caution in a state of shock, fearing that any further escalation could affect his ability to visit his surviving daughter in Australia.
He said the ordeal had left him with post-traumatic stress-type symptoms and had “trashed” his memories of volunteering for the force.
“It’s like PTSD. You push it to the back of your mind, but it comes back and you relive it,” he told The Telegraph.
On Saturday night, Mrs Braverman and Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, expressed their support for Mr Foulkes. Mr Philp called the arrest “completely unacceptable”.
Mrs Braverman said it was an “outrageous and sorry episode”, and added: “Law-abiding people should not be investigated for non-existent thought crimes.”
On Sunday, Mr Foulkes accepted an offer from the Free Speech Union (FSU) to fund legal action against the force for wrongful arrest and detention.
He said: “The FSU and Lord Young have generously agreed to fully fund a lawsuit against Kent Police.
“I’m extremely grateful for such excellent support and would urge anyone concerned about the sustained attack on free speech to please join the FSU. They’re fighting hard every day for all of us.”
The pensioner’s case is the latest in a spate of heavy-handed police responses to lawful expression.
Last year, The Telegraph revealed that its columnist Allison Pearson was questioned at home by two officers over an X post following pro-Palestinian protests.
In March, officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary arrested and detained the parents of a nine-year-old girl who had complained about her school in a WhatsApp group, before concluding that no further action was required.
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