Police knock on journalist's door over year-old social media mistake
A misidentified flag in social media post led to police investigating well-known writer for hate speech. Two officers showed up at her house on early Sunday morning while she was in her dressing-gown
Last sunday morning Allison Pearson got an un-expected visit from police officers while she was still in her dressing gown (the investigation was about her year-old social media post)
The story started when Pearson re-posted a video showing people with a flag on a UK street: she thought it was connected to mid-east protests but it turned out to be supporters of a Pakistani political group. After users pointed out the mistake she quickly removed the post
The complaint went through several police departments:
- Met Police got initial report
- Sussex Police marked it as non-crime incident
- Essex Police started full investigation
NHS doctor Nishant Joshi who leads punk band Kill The Icon! was among those who noticed the error; he has history of criticizing Pearsonʼs work in his 23ʼ interview
This needs to stop. Make Orwell Fiction Again!!
Legal experts say the case doesnt have merit: “Ms Pearson got facts wrong and made a stupid comment that she soon took down“ - explains human-rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson. The investigation is now waiting for Pearsons voluntary interview date‚ which shell attend with her legal team
