Police have apologised after a retired special constable was arrested and handcuffed in his home after posting a warning on social media about the rise of antisemitism.
Julian Foulkes, 71, who served for ten years with Kent Police, was detained at his home in Gillingham by six officers in November 2023 following a brief exchange on X in which he warned a user about the potential direction of antisemitic sentiment in Britain.
Foulkes had referenced scenes from Dagestan, Russia, where a mob stormed an airport looking for Jewish passengers.
Responding to a post on X from someone who had been on pro-Palestine marches, Foulkes wrote: “One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…”
He later accepted it would have been better if he had made it clear he was challenging the original poster about their escalation of antisemitism, rather than it appearing as if he was the one who was planning action at Heathrow.
Kent Police had interpreted it as a potential antisemitic threat.
“In hindsight, it would have been clearer had it begun with the words: ‘What next? You are…’,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.
“But even without the extra wording, it should have been clear to anyone reading it in context that his post was a warning about where anti-Semitic hate could lead.”
Foulkes told the paper; “Free speech is clearly under attack. Nobody is really safe… the public needs to see what’s happening, and be shocked.”
He said his ordeal began after he decided to respond a post which backed the pro-Palestinian marches in October and criticised the approach of Suella Braverman, the then-home secretary.
The post by “Mr Ethical” read: “Dear @SuellaBraverman — as someone who was on one of the ‘hate marches’, if you call me an antisemite I will sue you.”
Foulkes responded at 8.44am on October 31: “One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…”
Police body-worn camera footage from the arrest, posted by the Telegraph shows officers inspecting Foulkes’s bookshelves, including works by Douglas Murray and copies of The Spectator, and referring to the material as “very Brexity things”.
“That’s about the level of extremist I am… a few Douglas Murray books and some on Brexit,” said Foulkes. Officers also examined a shopping list belonging to his wife, a hairdresser, and raised concern over items such as bleach and tin foil.
Kent Police later said: “Kent Police apologises to Mr Foulkes for the distress caused and how the report was investigated. We have expunged the caution from his record and are pleased to facilitate this correction. Mr Foulkes has been informed of the decision and a further review of the matter will now be carried out to identify any learning opportunities.”
Foulkes’ solicitor, Matthew Elkins told the Telegraph that the case was emblematic of a broader shift: “Julian’s case highlights a need for the police to take stock, and to make freedom of expression their starting point – our freedoms won’t be taken from us suddenly, but by the quiet and gradual criminalisation of our conscience.”
The Home Office said: “This incident occurred under the previous government. The home secretary has made clear that she believes all police forces should be focused on the central priorities of the government’s Safer streets mission, including rebuilding neighbourhood policing, reducing antisocial behaviour, and making progress towards the unprecedented ambition to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls within a decade.”
