A ‘deeply distressing’ video of police arresting a girl with autism in her home after accusing her of using a “homophobic” remark, has gone viral, racking up millions of views on social media and causing commentators to question the authorities’ use of ‘hate-speech’ laws.
The girl’s mother shared in a social media post that her daughter (who appears to be a teenager) was being brought home by police in Leeds when the girl “made a comment in her own house” which led to the police deciding to arrest her for “homophobic remarks”.
“[They were] helping her home safely they said, and she wasn’t under arrest, until the woman officer changed her mind after hearing the word “lesbian”, the upset mother claimed in a post under a tiktok video of the incident.
In the video, the woman says to the police “her nana is a lesbian, she is married to a lesbian” and “she didn’t aim it at the police officer.”
A male police officer is heard saying that “homophobic remarks” were made at his colleague. The teen’s mother then says about her daughter – ‘she said “I think she is a lesbian like Nana”.’
The Daily Mail later reported that the girl had said ‘you look like my lesbian Nana”.
As the terrified-looking girl cowers in a cupboard under the stairs, a policewoman says “she’s getting arrested”. Her mother is then heard saying ‘she’s autistic’ to one policewoman who responded “I don’t care.”
The girl then begins to hit herself, a self-harming reaction common in those with autism especially if under distress. At least 6 police officers are seen in the house in the video.
The teenager is then seen screaming and crying as three male police officers attempt to remove her from the cupboard under the stairs.
https://twitter.com/SineadKelly113/status/1689176155562143744
The video has provoked a huge reaction online, in particular from parents of children with autism and from those who are concerned about the use of hate-speech laws, in particular against vulnerable people.
The footage was described as “distressing” “horrifying” and “deeply upsetting”, with many commentators questioning the need for such a large group of officers and such an “unsettling” encounter.
Tennis star Martina Navratilova hit out at the behaviour of the police in the video.
What the actual F??? Are the this incompetent ? Hate speech my ass! This is police gone crazy and escalating nothing into a traumatic experience. Holy crapola- I would sack all of them for lack of brain cells- clearly they cannot do their job. https://t.co/a7IkTtMO41
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) August 10, 2023
One post asked the Police Autism UK group if they had a comment on how the girl was treated.
Any comments on how West Yorkshire police treated this autistic child in the attached video?https://t.co/9Y6xhqjclJ https://t.co/PkJGUovsGK
— Dr EM (@PankhurstEM) August 10, 2023
The girl’s mother said that she was held in custody for 20 hours and then released without charge. Gript has contacted West Yorkshire Police for comment.
One Irish woman who posted a copy of the video which now has 1.9 million views on Twitter, said that the footage should serve as a warning against the hate-speech bill now at final stage in Ireland.
“This may be one of the most uncomfortable videos I’ve had to watch. This is what hate speech legislation that prioritises certain groups over others, looks like in action, poor child @HMcEntee #binthebill,” she wrote.
Journalist Mary Harrington described the incident as law enforcement turning up “mob-handed to arrest a child with autism who used regime deprecated language.”
Good evening, this is your British anarcho-tyranny report, in which Her Majesty’s law enforcement will turn up mob-handed to arrest a child with autism who used regime deprecated language… https://t.co/Ykec89Vlb8
— Mary Harrington (@moveincircles) August 9, 2023
UPDATE:
In a statement West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan said: “We are aware of a video circulating on social media which, as is often the case, only provides a very limited snapshot of the circumstances of this incident.
“Officers had their body-worn video cameras activated during their wider involvement with this young girl which provides additional context to their actions.
“We have received a complaint in relation to this incident which is currently being assessed by West Yorkshire Professional Standards Directorate.
“While that ongoing process and the active criminal investigation limit our ability to fully discuss the incident in detail, we feel it is important for people to have some context about the circumstances.
“From 12.12am on Monday, August 7, police received calls from a family member of a 16-year-old girl who was reportedly intoxicated and putting herself at risk in Leeds city centre.
“Officers attended at about 1am and drove the teenager to her home so she could be appropriately looked after.
“Upon returning her to the address, comments were made which resulted in the girl being arrested on suspicion of a homophobic public order offence. The nature of the comments made was fully captured on body-worn video.
“When the girl was eventually fit to be interviewed, that interview took place with an appropriate adult.
“She was later released on bail pending further enquiries and advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“West Yorkshire Police takes its responsibilities around the welfare of young people taken into custody and around neurodiversity very seriously.
“We also maintain that our officers and staff should not have to face abuse while working to keep our communities safe.
“We are fully reviewing the circumstances of this incident and ask that people avoid reaching any conclusions about it solely on the basis of the social media video.”
This story was updated at 13.32 on 10/08/2023
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