A short while after I published my piece on how Dr David Starkey was being targeted by the Metropolitan Police over his comments that because there are ‘so many damn blacks’ that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was not in anyway a genocide, it seems that the Met have hit the reverse gear. According to a link to an article in the Telegraph sent to me by Pcar, who is one of this blog’s regular commenters, the police are going to ‘review’ the investigation into Dr Starkey and into Mr Darren Grimes.
It seems that the phenomenal amount of public, media and political pressure that has been brought to bear on the Met may be making them rethink this malevolent and unjust investigation. The Met police may well be looking for some sort of way out of the situation that they’ve managed to get themselves in, as well they should, because this case has further damaged the already tarnished reputation of the Metropolitan Police.
The only thing that bothers me, as it has bothered others, is that there were probably many who would have been ambivalent about throwing Mr Grimes to the ‘hate speech’ law wolves, but for whom doing the same to Dr Starkey was a step too far. If nothing else this case shows the capriciousness and political corruption that ‘hate speech’, ‘hate crime’ and similar laws have brought to Britain’s legal system. This does look like an abuse of the Public Order Act of 1986 as I very much doubt that hassling commentators and historians was what the government of Margaret Thatcher had in mind when this act was made law.
The Telegraph said:
Police review investigation into Darren Grimes and David Starkey over YouTube comments
Scotland Yard has said a senior officer would be looking at the investigation to see if it was “proportionate”
The Metropolitan Police is reviewing its investigation into Darren Grimes and Dr David Starkey in connection with allegations of stirring up racial hatred, it can be revealed.
Scotland Yard has contacted both the conservative commentator and the historian to inform them a senior officer would be looking at the investigation to see if it was “proportionate” and that they are not required to attend a police station at this time.
…
Mr Grimes said: “This vexatious claim against me should never have been investigated. At a time when many have been propelled into misery, it is a gross abuse of taxpayer cash and police time.
“I will be requesting a copy of the CPS advice that led to the intervention irrespective of whether they proceed or not, the dangerous precedent of broadcasters and journalists facing arrest and up to seven years imprisonment for ‘stirring up’ racial hatred as a consequence of what a guest said during an interview must not stand.
“We need an urgent review of the unprecedented use of this legislation to attack press freedom.”
…
Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union which was supporting both men, said that he was “relieved” at the decision “but alarmed that the police embarked on this witch-hunt in the first place”.
“Dr David Starkey’s words never came anywhere near meeting the threshold for stirring up racial hatred, let alone Darren Grime’s decision to broadcast them,” he said.
“Everyone should be defending the right to free speech, not just those on the frontline. If you don’t stick up for the speech rights of contrarians — even those who offend people — the authorities will eventually come after you.
“As George Orwell said, “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear”.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/14/police-set-review-investigation-darren-grimes-david-starkey/
