POLITICS in PUBS Newcastle

Banned from the Stand! An evening with Linzi Smith
Notes from meeting held on 8^th April 2025

Knock, knock ...
Who's there?
The police!

It sounds like a joke, but there is nothing funny about the fact that UK police are making on average 33 arrests per day for 'offensive' online messages, or that the number of such arrests has increased by nearly 60% in just four years. Is this what Starmer was referring to when he told US Vice President Vance that he was "very proud" of the UK's record on free speech?

One of the most shocking cases of police overreach and infringement of free speech happened right here in the North East - local football fan Linzi Smith was banned from Newcastle United football matches, spied on by the Premier League and investigated by Northumbria Police simply for posting gender-critical (or rather sex-realist) views on X. Newcastle PiPs members had been following Linzi's case on the news with great interest and concern, and on 8th April we were delighted to welcome her to our meeting to tell us her story.

Linzi's story

In October 2023 Linzi received an e-mail from Newcastle United saying that her membership had been suspended pending the outcome of a police investigation into a possible hate crime. Linzi had no idea she was being investigated by the police - somehow her football club knew about this before she did. However, after a two-hour interview regarding three posts Linzi had made on X, Northumbria Police concluded not only that Linzi had committed no crime, but that her posts did not even reach the threshold for a non-crime hate incident.

In spite of this, Newcastle United decided the following month to ban Linzi from the club for three seasons because of her X posts. This is an outrageous example of overreach by the club. Linzi's beliefs are legally protected under the Equality Act 2010 (Forstater v CGD Europe, 2021) and her statements were made online rather than in the stadium and did not concern NUFC or football in any way. The police never told Linzi who had reported her, but through her own research she later discovered that the report had come from the Newcastle United fans group United with Pride whose stated aim is to "challenge transphobia where we find it (in stadium and online)".

In an even more sinister turn of events, it transpired that the Premier League had been spying on Linzi for months following a single complaint about her X posts. A data subject access request revealed that they had compiled a dossier on Linzi, detailing not only her social media activity but many other aspects of her personal life. More chillingly, they provided Newcastle United with guidance on "exploring options for restorative education".

Fighting back

Thankfully, as Linzi's plight became known, she quickly received support from Graham Linehan, Harry Miller (Fair Cop) and the Free Speech Union. Fair Cop helped Linzi to deal with Northumbria Police and the Free Speech Union is supporting Linzi to take legal action against NUFC and the Premier League. Linzi has set up a crowdfunder to cover her legal costs, which has received donations from all over the world, demonstrating the strength of feeling her case has inspired.

Illegitimi non carborundum

Despite this support, Linzi explained how this ordeal had taken a huge toll on her personal life. It is often said of such cases that "the process is the punishment", which is true and quite intentional. Linzi described her treatment as a "warning shot" to others. Nevertheless, she has remained consistent throughout the experience and offered the following advice to others who find themselves in a similar situation:

"Don't let them bait you, don't let them get to you. They only have power if you let them get to you. They want your attention, but pick your battles carefully. You will find that the pushback is all online because they are cowards."

PiPs members asked whether Linzi would go back to NUFC when the ban is lifted. She replied that she will go back as a matter of principle, but that she will no longer feel safe to go to matches alone as she used to, only as part of a group. Linzi reminded us that this is all as a result of NUFC's efforts to "create an inclusive environment"!

Hijacked by ideologues

PiPs members wanted to know how it is possible to have your life turned upside down without even knowing what you have been accused of or who has accused you. Northumbria University Law Professor Dr Kyri Kotsoglou joined the debate to provide some vital context on non-crime hate incidents and the UK legal system.

Kyri explained that the concept of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) arose from the Macpherson Inquiry into the Stephen Lawrence murder, which recommended setting up a comprehensive system for reporting non-criminal racist incidents as well as racially-motivated crimes. A key flaw in this system was that it allowed NCHIs to be reported based solely on individual perception, which led to a proliferation of NCHI reports (many of which were malicious accusations) and a chilling effect on free speech.

Following the Court of Appeal ruling in Harry Miller's case, a new Code of Practice was published in June 2023 which stressed that perception alone is not sufficient basis to record an NCHI and that terminology with criminal connotations such as 'victim' and 'perpetrator' must not be used. It also demanded that police officers apply judgement and common sense to determine whether it is reasonable to record an incident.

That sounds like a step in the right direction, but of course Linzi's case took place after the new Code of Practice was issued and yet she was treated appallingly by the police. So what went wrong?

Kyri explained that many of our institutions such as the College of Policing, individual police forces and the judiciary have been hijacked by ideologues, leading to two-tier justice in the UK and the enforcement of ideology being prioritised over law enforcement. Kyri lamented that "the long arm of the law" has been replaced by "the long arm of Stonewall"! Linzi added that Northumbria Police's Chief Constable, Vanessa Jardine, is the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) Lead for LGBT+ communities and sits on the NPCC Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee - she is an activist who is infecting the whole force with her ideology.

The fight continues

Last month, nearly a year and a half since they first contacted her, Northumbria Police finally apologised to Linzi and admitted there had been failings in the way her case had been handled. They have acknowledged the need for better staff training and greater scrutiny of evidence in the handling of hate crime reports. Yet Linzi remains banned from the stand, despite having done nothing wrong. She is continuing her legal battle against NUFC and the Premier League in the hope of making them think twice about engaging in such Orwellian behaviour in future.

The evening concluded with everyone present applauding Linzi's bravery and determination. As one member put it, without individuals standing up for their principles nothing will ever change. The more people fight and win court cases, the more people will be emboldened to take a stand. Although taking legal action is arduous, stressful and expensive, it is often the only thing that works.

Linzi referred to her case as a 'David and Goliath situation' - an apt metaphor for a lone woman taking on huge well-funded organisations with strong legal teams, but let's not forget that in the Old Testament story things did not end well for the giant!

Links

Paula Lightfoot, 2025

More information about Politics in Pubs can be found here: politicsinpubs.org.uk

More information about previous and future events can be found at POLITICS in PUBS Newcastle Homepage

If you find this interesting, consider joining The Great Debate facebook group or visit The Great Debate facebook page.
Follow us on Twitter: @greatdebateuk

Top of page

Home | Future Events | Previous Events | People | Articles | Reviews | AboutUs

© C J M Hewett, 2025