The head of the Metropolitan Police has blamed politicians for putting his officers in an 'impossible position' over online speech.
He was speaking after the arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan for social media comments.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley defended the five armed officers who arrested Mr Linehan at Heathrow on Monday on suspicion of inciting violence over three messages he posted on X in April.
The tweets included one in which he joked that women should punch transgender women 'in the balls' if they use female-only spaces.
Sir Mark said 'a threat to punch someone from a protected group could be an offence' but admitted: 'I understand the concern caused by such incidents given differing perspectives on the balance between free speech and the risks of inciting violence in the real world.'
