Police accused of ‘totalitarian’ attack on free speech as officer turns up to tell woman to apologise over Facebook post
Force blasted for behaving like 'totalitarian psychopaths' over confrontation
Police have been accused of attacking free speech after turning up at a cancer patient’s door urging her to apologise for a Facebook post that “upset someone”.
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Deborah Anderson, a mother-of-two, was confronted by a Thames Valley Police Officer after the force received complaints that someone had felt threatened by comments she made online.
Footage that has gone viral on X shows the officer demanding she apologise without specifying which post the complaint was made about.
In the clip, Ms Anderson asks the officer: “You’re here because somebody got upset? Is it against the law? Am I being arrested?”
“I’m not apologising to anybody. I can tell you that,” she added.
The officer confirmed that he is not making an arrest but later threatened to arrange an official interview.
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Ms Anderson, a member of the campaign group Free Speech Union, later told the officer she is an elderly woman and a cancer patient.
Thames Valley Police have since dropped the case after the Free Speech Union’s (FSU) clip went viral.
Blasting the force, the FSU wrote on X: “What was Deborah’s supposed crime? The policeman didn’t tell her. Was it her passionate support of President Trump and the MAGA movement on her Facebook and X pages?
“To make it worse, Deborah is in the midst of cancer treatment, including chemotherapy.
“She ought to be have been convalescing. Instead, she was harassed for her tweets."
The FSU said the police have now dropped their investigation after the organisation took on the case.
“But they still haven’t told Deborah which of her posts got her into trouble, claiming they’ve accidentally deleted the record of the complaint," the organisation added.
It continued: "Thames Valley Police are responsible for guarding President Trump this week. What would he make of the fact that those same officers are visiting the homes of his supporters – including US citizens – and threatening them with arrest.”
Social media users have fumed in the comment section of the FSU's clip, which has since raked in over two million views.
“I'm offended by the fact that the British police are behaving like totalitarian psychopaths. It's causing me anxiety,” one user wrote.
“Despicable, I’m so sorry for her. People please don’t let them into your home unless they have a warrant. Shut the door and walk away. If it’s serious, they’ll return with an arrest warrant. Let’s not roll over, make it hard for them,” another added.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “In June, we received a report from a person who felt threatened by comments directed at them online. "They reported being called a terrorist and that, if the person making the comment was Prime Minister, they would be lined up and shot.
“Following engagement with both parties, no arrests were made and no further action was taken.
“While people are entitled to express their views, it is the police’s duty to respond to allegations of threatening language and references to violence.”