Anti-Islamic blogger facing arrest?

In my perambulations around the blogosphere, I have occasionally come across the Luton-based anti-Islamic blogger Lionheart. Well, yesterday he left the following message at his blog:

I am currently out of the Country and on my return home to England I am going to be arrested by British detectives on suspicion of Stirring up Racial Hatred by displaying written material" contrary to sections 18(1) and 27(3) of the Public Order Act 1986.

This charge if found guilty carries a lengthy prison sentence, more than what most paedophiles and rapists receive, and all for writing words of truth about the barbarity that is living in the midst of our children , which threatens the very future of our Country.

Now, not being involved in this case myself, I cannot say for a certainty that Lionheart's claim is accurate. However, I will say that this would not be the first time that a British blogger has been arrested on account of his writings: in June I wrote about the case of Andrew Love, who pleaded guilty to committing a "racially-aggravated breach of the peace", after writing a blog in which he "directed insults at groups including black and disabled people, Muslims and homosexuals". If it can happen to Andrew Love, why can't it also happen to Lionheart, or, indeed, to any other blogger who offends against the dictates of political correctness, now given legal force by the ever-growing body of "anti-hatred" legislation?

Ultimately, those of us not directly involved cannot be certain of the truth of this matter until Lionheart returns to Britain, and the police act (or don't, as the case may be). Personally, given Andrew Love's case, as well as the numerous other cases of people being arrested on spurious pretexts over accusations of "racism", or related thought crimes, I am provisionally inclined to believe Lionheart's account. Certainly, the ramifications of this story for free speech in general, and the British blogosphere in particular, are potentially enormous. If Lionheart is arrested, how long will it be before more arrests follow? As he himself puts it:

Today it is me and my blog and tomorrow it is you and your blog.

All bloggers, all blog readers, and everyone with an interest in the maintenance of what free speech we in Britain have left, should be very concerned by this.

Hat-tip: Homophobic Horse, in the comments.

Update:

Lionheart now writes that he has employed a solicitor, Anthony Bennett, to act on his behalf in this matter. Mr Bennett is something of a minor political notable himself, and the content of the Wikipedia article about him makes for interesting reading. As does this Daily Mail report from last November, announcing that he was to launch a private prosecution for child neglect against Madeleine McCann's parents (having previously failed in an attempt to prosecute Michael Barrymore for drugs offences).

However, while Mr Bennett might have some eccentricities, the fact that Lionheart has taken the step of retaining a solicitor would seem to add credence to his claims. For a start, it is difficult to see why he would do so if he had fabricated the whole story. Secondly, it means that there is, in Mr Bennett, another source to confirm Lionheart's claims. The blogger GW, of Wolf Howling, has been in touch with Mr Bennett, who has forwarded to him the e-mail sent by the police to Lionheart, which does seem to confirm what Lionheart says. GW's post also provides some background details regarding the circumstances in which Lionheart discovered that he was to be arrested.

It is beginning to look like this news is indeed as bad as it appears to be.