Teen arrested over burning poppy pic

Not amused: A digital montage featuring a Facebook picture of a burning poppy which led to a man being arrested, on a day when Britain's public and royalty paid their respects to the war dead. Picture: Facebook / AFP Source: AFP

A FREE speech row has erupted after British police arrested a 19-year old who allegedly posted a photo of a burning poppy on Facebook on Remembrance Sunday.

Kent police said they were alerted about the offensive picture on Sunday afternoon, and arrested a 19 year-old "on suspicion of an offence under the malicious communications act".

The police said the picture was accompanied by an offensive comment, which the Daily Mail newspaper said was "How about that you squadey c***s".

On Monday a photo started circulating on social media identifying the young man as Linford House.

However the arrest has sparked outrage, with free speech advocates saying the prosecution of people for making offensive remarks has gone too far.

The Communications Act was previously used to prosecute 'Twitter joker' Paul Chambers, who won an appeal against his conviction for a flippant comment on social media about "blowing up" an airport.

Earlier this year Matthew Woods was jailed for 12 weeks for a joke on Facebook about missing child April Jones, and another man was sentenced to 80 hours' unpaid labour for referring to a local councillor as a "c***".

A #poppycock hashtag has sprung up on Twitter for people to vent their frustrations - including noted journalist and lawyer David Allen Green.

Australian comedian Tim Minchin, who lives in London, also expressed his disapproval of the arrest, though he said he would personally never burn a poppy on Remembrance Day.

Last year three Irish teenagers were charged with incitement to hatred for posting a photograph on Facebook of themselves burning a poppy.

And in 2010 Muslim extremists burned a giant poppy in London during two minutes' silence for war heroes, reportedly chanting "British soldiers burn in hell".

One of the extremists Emdadur Choudhury, was found guilty last year of a 'calculated and deliberate' insult to the war dead and those who mourn them, for burning the replica poppies on Remembrance Day. He was fined 50 pounds ($76).

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