A retired policeman was arrested and handcuffed in his own home by six police officer armed with batons and pepper spray after issuing a warning about the threat of anti-Semitism in Britain.
Julian Foulkes, from Gillingham, was detained by Kent Police cops – the very same force he had given around ten years of his life to – after he questioned a supporter of pro-Palestine demonstrations on X (formerly Twitter).
Bodycam footage of the incident in November 2023, shows officers describing the 71-year-old’s books and literature scattered around his home as ‘very Brexity things’, according to The Telegraph.
Police also raised worries over a shopping list, written by the retired man’s hairdresser wife, which included items such as bleach, tin foil and gloves, whilst they seized Mr Foulkes electronic devices from his home.
They also searched through most of his personal items, including newspaper clippings from the funeral as well as the police probe of his daughter, Francesca’s death, who had been killed by a drunk driver whilst holidaying in Ibiza 15 years ago.
A copper was heard stating, according to the publication: ‘Ah. That’s sad,’ as she continued to rummage through the retired special constable’s items, before he was put in a police cell for eight hours.
After hours of interrogation on suspicion of malicious communication, the ex-police officer accepted a warning as he worried it could affect any future visits to see his daughter who resides in Australia.
‘My life wouldn’t be worth living if I couldn’t see her. At the time, I believed a caution wouldn’t affect travel, but a conviction definitely would,’ he said.
Julian Foulkes (pictured) was arrested by Kent Police cops after he questioned a supporter of pro-Palestine demonstrations on X (formerly Twitter )
Bodycam footage of the incident in November 2023, shows officers describing the 71-year-old’s books and literature scattered around his home as ‘very Brexity things’
He added: ‘That’s about the level of extremist I am… a few Douglas Murray books and some on Brexit.’
Now Kent Police have since confessed the decision to give Mr Foulkes a caution was a mistake and have wiped it off the 76-year-old’s record.
Mr Foulkes has since aired his concerns in what he believes to be an attack on freedom of speech, quipping: ‘I saw Starmer in the White House telling Trump we’ve had it in the UK for a very long time, and I thought, ‘Yeah, right.’ We can see what’s really going on.’
Divulging that he had never experienced ‘anything like this’ during his time on the force, he added that a ‘woke mind virus’ was infecting everything, including the police.
The 76-year-old’s ordeal started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, which saw 1,200 people killed and over 250 taken hostage. An incident which sparked several pro-Palestine marches in London.
The retired policeman had been told by his Jewish friends about how they felt unsafe travelling to the bustling city.
Later that October, he had become increasingly worried having reports of mobs storming an airport in Dagestan, Russia to intercept Israeli citizens.
So, the next day when he saw a post from an account called Mr Ethical, which read: ‘Dear @SuellaBraverman – as someone who was on one of the ‘hate marches’, if you call me an antisemite I will sue you,’ he felt inclined to respond.
A graphic illustrating the tweets shared by Mr Foulkes, which were later flagged to Kent Police by Metropolitan Police Intelligence Command
They also searched through most of his personal items, including newspaper clippings from the funeral as well as the police probe of his daughter, Francesca’s death
He responded to the tweet saying: ‘One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…’
He claimed he had never been in contact with the account prior, and was warning of possible escalation with the on-going pro-Palestinian protests.
Looking back on the incident, the retired policeman said the message wouldn’t have been unclear if he had written ‘What next? You are…’ at the beginning of the response.
However he argued that even without the four extra words, his message was a clear warning regarding the escalation of anti-Semitism.
On November 1 his posted was flagged to Kent Police by the Metropolitan Police Intelligence Command, due to ‘concerns around online content’ – unbeknownst to Mr Foulkes. His tweet had only been viewed 26 times.
The next day six police officers arrived at Mr Foulkes’ door, leaving him ‘totally shocked’ and ‘flabbergasted’ as he was placed into handcuffs on his very own doorstep.
Although his cuffs were later removed after an ex-coworker recognised him at the station, it was only the beginning for Mr Foulkes, as he saw colleagues rummage some of the most private parts of his home.
Following fears of neighbours thinking the worst, or being unable to see his surviving daughter again, the lowest moment came when Mr Foulkes attended the police station on November 10, so he could be given a caution.
The lowest moment for Mr Foulkes came when attended the police station on November 10, so he could be given a caution (pictured: Medway Police Station)
Despite feeling as though he had no choice at the time, a year later the burden of having not challenged the decision continued to plague his thought, and eventually he sought legal council.
And although the caution has since been deleted on Tuesday, the repercussions have been devastating for the pensioner, who says its cost him money he ‘can’t afford’, whilst also marring his memories of serving Kent Police for over a decade.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: ‘On 2 November 2023 a report was made to Kent Police about a social media post that was alleged to have been offensive, and Mr Foulkes was arrested on the same day.
‘Although he was offered and accepted an unconditional caution following his own independent legal advice, a subsequent review of the case by the force concluded that the caution was not appropriate in the circumstances and should not have been issued.
‘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.’
A Home Office spokesman 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 anti-social behaviour, and making progress towards the unprecedented ambition to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls within a decade.
