Britain’s woke police have come under criticism again after they arrested a mother of five, the wife of a priest, for allegedly posting offensive statements on the internet.
On Monday, while she was cooking dinner for her family, Caroline Farrow — an activist and outspoken critic of modern far-left gender ideology — was taken from her home, frisked “for drugs”, and arrested by Surrey Police.
“One minute I was making dinner for my kids and then next I was having my socks checked for drugs. This took up an entire shift. What an absolute waste of police time,” she said.
Mrs Farrow claims that the officers entered her home “without a warrant”, sharing footage of what appears to be a large officer barging through her front door. She claimed that the officers then seized her electronic devices, including a tablet used by her special needs daughter to do her homework and listen to Harry Potter audiobooks.
Farrow told GB News that she believed that the arrest was a result of her disagreement with the woke left on gender issues. However, she has claimed that police showed her posts from an account on the KiwiFarms social media platform, which she denies operating, and says that she was publicly performing on a church organ at the time of the posts in question.
While she has not been formally charged with a crime, Farrow relayed that she is facing potential prosecution for harassment and malicious communications, saying: “If the harassment (twitter argument) is deemed to be motivated by someone’s protected characteristic, it’s up to 2 years imprisonment.”
In a statement, Temporary Detective Chief Inspector David Bentley said: “There is significant commentary on social media around the perceived circumstances behind this investigation. We do not have the freedom of detailing every stage of our inquiries or the specifics of an allegation on social media as it is critical we do not pre-empt or prejudice any future proceedings at any stage.
“When we receive an allegation of a crime, in this instance one where a grossly offensive message is said to have been communicated, it is our job to assess it alongside any available evidence to identify if an offence has been committed. If it has, we gather further evidence and carry out an investigation to prove or disprove the allegation. That is exactly the process that is being followed in this case.
“The investigation into these allegations is very much ongoing and the relevant inquiries are being carried out. We have a duty to protect the integrity of an investigation, so we will not be providing a running commentary on this case.”
Farrow, who serves as the director for the Catholic campaigning website Citizen Go for the UK and Ireland, said that the experience with the police has left her feeling “harassed and anxious”.
“It’s scary that the police can take someone’s word for something and just come and arrest you. All they could say is ‘we’ve had an allegation which needs to be investigated’,” she said.
Criticising the increasing police state surrounding speech, former Doctor Who actor James Dreyfus, who was allegedly fired from his role for supporting J.K. Rowling, described the incident as “unbelievably sinister”, going on to warn: “Please don’t, for one moment, think ‘This could never happen to me.’ It IS happening [and] any one of us could be next.”
The arrest came one day before Home Secretary Suella Braverman called on police forces to return to a “common sense” policing and focus on actual crimes, such as violence, rape, and burglaries.
“We need to get back to common sense policing, empowering the Police to tackle the real issues facing the public – not policing pronouns on twitter or non-crime hate incidents,” Braverman said.
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