Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on the growing backlash to police investigating a journalist's social media post

Police in Essex have defended investigating a social media post written by a Daily Telegraph columnist amid growing backlash.

Allison Pearson received a visit from officers on Remembrance Sunday over a long-deleted social media post - and was left 'dumbstruck'.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says people have questioned why the police have time to go after this woman while violent crime and burglaries continue to impact people.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gavin Gray, UK correspondent with me, hey, Devin hither Now
interesting that Keirstam has got involved in the social media
via the police thing, isn't it?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah? I think it's one of these things that he's
on the plane on the way to the G twenty
summit to meet President She and others, and you know,
all the journalists asking him about what's in the news
and what's he going to say to she and what's
been in the news here is that a Daily Telegraph journalist,
now the Daily Telegraph is a rite of center newspaper,
in other words, is probably not a great support of

(00:31):
the Prime minister. A Daily Telegraph journalist was questioned on
Remembrance Sunday. Her doorbell went at home in the evening
and she was questioned about a social media post from
one year ago. And plenty of people saying, look, what
are the police doing with their time? We told there
aren't enough police to investigate burglaries and they always seem stretched,

(00:52):
and yet here they are complaining, you know, going to
seek out somebody who said something which somebody else might
have been offended by over a year year ago. The
Prime Minister said this is a matter for the police.
The police, by police do this, but he said, obviously
with a review going on about social media as a general,
principally said the police should concentrate on what matters most

(01:14):
of their communities. Well, let me assure you that for
most people I know, in fact, for everyone I know,
that isn't spending police time going to question a woman
about a social media post a year ago. It is
instead trying to tackle crime on the streets and burglaries
and muggings and things like that. And indeed, it's interesting
that the police have requested this journalist, Alison Pearson, to

(01:36):
attend a voluntary interview, and she says, quite frankly, I'm
minded to do it, but with a legal representation.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Tell me, Kevin, why is it that the cops are
going so had on social media? Because I'm even thinking about,
you know, during the protests that you guys had recently,
whatever the incident was, and people were saying things about
blowing up mosques and they were going to jail for
like longer than people who'd actually committed crimes.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Yeah, I think think this is something actually that although
this government might deny it, I think this is something
that this government is really pushing they are trying to
sort of get rid of any thing that might be
deemed to be discriminatory to any way, shape or form,
or insulting or inciting any particular acts. And so consequently, Yeah,

(02:21):
plenty of people believe that free speech, particularly on social media,
has really been cut back. And the number of times
I hear somebody say something and then say, of course
you I shouldn't really be saying that, and you think, well,
actually that's your opinion. You know, you're entitled to an opinion,
but it would have seemed not so so much on
social media.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Interesting, Hey, why is the pope getting involved in the
Gaza situation?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah? Very interesting. This The Pope's got a book of
letters is coming out in which the Pope's work is
part of that. It's been partly published by the Italian
newspaper A Stamper. The book is coming out tomorrow and
in that there are some bits from pope answers. And
the excerpt that we have from this is that he

(03:03):
said there should be an investigation on whether Israel has
committed genocide in Gaza. The head of the Catholic Church said,
and I quote, according to some experts, what is happening
in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide, and the eighty
seven year old continues we should investigate carefully to determine
whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by juris

(03:24):
and international bodies. So this is quite an outspoken thing obviously.
Normally the church tends not to comment on world politics
and one thing on another and I think obviously will
rub up the wrong way some from other faiths around
the world.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah, interesting, Devin, As always, thank you, will have a
check you in a couple of days. Again, look after yourself.
It's Kevin Gray, UK correspondence.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
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