Falklands veteran, 57, is questioned by two detectives after posting tongue-in-cheek tweet joking: ‘Maybe it’s time for a military coup to sort Brexit out’
- Tony McNally, 57, from Barrow-in-Furness was visited by police after Tweeting
- He said his comment was obviously a joke but police raised the murder of Jo Cox
- Mr McNally, a Royal Artillery veteran who served in Northern Ireland and the south Atlantic, slammed Cumbria Police’s ‘heavy-handed’ approach
- It comes after the Met said Jo Brand would not face questions over ‘acid’ joke
Tony McNally, 57, was visited by police over a tweet at his home in Barrow-in-Furness
A decorated Falklands war veteran was stunned to find himself quizzed by two police officers over a light-hearted tweet about Brexit.
Tony McNally, 57, was visited by Cumbria Constabulary after tweeting: ‘Maybe it’s time for a military coup to sort Brexit out’.
Mr McNally, a father of two who served in Northern Ireland and the Falklands, said: ‘I couldn’t start a military coup.
‘It was a waste of police time, heavy-handed and totally unnecessary. ‘
He told the Sun: ‘The tweet was just a tongue-in-cheek, off-the-cuff remark.’
His brush with the law comes after police confirmed Jo Brand will not face any further action over her joke on Radio 4 last week about throwing ‘battery acid’ over politicians.
Mr McNally, formerly of the Royal Artillery, said that perhaps he would have avoided having police turn up at his door if he’d written ‘this is just a joke’.
He added: ‘She won’t be spoken to by police about what she said because it’s under the guise of comedy.
He went on: ‘I felt intimidated. I feel like it was an assault on my civil liberties.’
Tony McNally, Falklands veteran, pictured 3rd left in 1982. Mr McNally said the police were ‘heavy handed’ in their response
He said he made the comment online after reading that a General had warned a future Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn could face an army mutiny.
He said the officer compared his post with threats of violence against MPs and brought up the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox before the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Tony, of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, said: ‘I’m not the enemy here. I served my country and I’m proud of it.’
The veteran deleted the tweet after receiving online abuse.
Cumbria Constabulary told the Sun: ‘We were made aware of concerns. Officers visited and gave advice regarding the post. No more action was taken.’
The former soldier has written about the ongoing fight with post traumatic stress disorder