Retired Kent Officer Plans Lawsuit After Arrest Over Tweet

Julian Foulkes, a 71-year-old retired special constable from Kent, is preparing to sue Kent Police after being handcuffed, detained for eight hours, and cautioned over a tweet warning about rising anti-Semitism linked to pro-Palestinian protests. The police force later admitted the caution was a mistake and deleted it from his record, with the Chief Constable personally apologizing to Foulkes and ordering a thorough internal investigation. Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner condemned the arrest as "unacceptable" and is demanding answers from the Chief Constable. The incident began after the Metropolitan Police referred Foulkes’s tweet to Kent Police, leading to a heavy-handed response involving six officers searching his home and seizing electronic devices. Foulkes has received legal support from the Free Speech Union, which is funding his lawsuit against the force for wrongful arrest and detention, highlighting broader concerns about police overreach in policing lawful speech. This case follows other recent controversial police actions against lawful expressions, raising questions about the balance between security and free speech.