A 35-year-old man has been arrested by Scottish police and charged after he allegedly posted an “offensive” tweet about British veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died last week at the age of 100.
“On Friday, 5 February, we received a report of an offensive tweet about Sir Captain Tom Moore who died on Tuesday, 2 February,” Lanarkshire Police declared in a statement on Monday.
It added that the person believed to be responsible for the post “has been charged in connection with communication offences” and is due to appear at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday, February 17. The content of the “offensive” tweet was unclear.
On Friday, 5 February, we received a report of an offensive tweet about Sir Captain Tom Moore who died on Tuesday, 2 February.
A 35-year-old man has been charged in connection with communication offences and is due to appear at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday, 17 February. pic.twitter.com/K7c5cL4gJT
The arrest was also condemned by Scottish comedian Mark Meechan, also known as ‘Count Dankula’, who famously went through his own free speech battle with the Scottish authorities and was convicted of a hate crime for teaching his pet dog to do a Nazi salute as part of a comedy sketch.
“My country is a joke,” commented Meechan, adding that although making offensive comments about a man who has just died is “far from a nice thing” to do, it “absolutely should not be a criminal offence.”
Others supported the arrest, however, calling it “excellent news” and “outstanding” work.
The unnamed arrested man was not the only person to face controversy after weighing in on the death of Captain Moore. Church of England clergyman Jarel Robinson-Brown made headlines last week after he called mourners of the British veteran who raised over £30 million for NHS services before his death “a cult of White British nationalism.”
The church came out in defense of Robinson-Brown, however, alleging that he had received “racist and homophobic” messages in response to his offensive comment.
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