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Man behind 'mealy-mouthed Muslim' tweet to sue London Police for false arrest

Matthew Doyle created an online storm last week after tweeting about his interaction with a Muslim woman in Croydon.

Updated 14.17

A MAN WHO, was arrested last week after sending a tweet about confronting a Muslim woman in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Brussels, says he plans on making an official complaint against the London Metropolitan Police, and on making a damages claim against them.

46-year-old Matthew Doyle sent a tweet in the aftermath of the terror attacks suggesting that he had confronted a Muslim woman about her reaction in the wake of the attacks.

matthew doyle Twitter Twitter

In the aftermath of the tweet Doyle was castigated on Twitter. He removed the tweet, then claimed he had been joking, then switched tack and reaffirmed the sentiment behind the message.

After his tweet created an online storm, Doyle was arrested by the Met Police on suspicion of incitement to hatred.

He was subsequently released without charge on Friday after the police acknowledged they had no specific power to arrest him in the first place.

“Police may not make charging decisions on offences under Section 19 of the Public Order Act,” the force said in its statement.

There will be further consultation with CPS (Crown Prosecution Service).

False arrest

In a statement today to TheJournal.ie, Doyle affirmed that he intends to sue the Metropolitan Police Force.

“I intend to sue London’s Metropolitan Police… they have falsely arrested and detained me over a period of 48 hours over a potential crime they have no empowerment over,” he said.

They had the audacity to celebrate a wrongful arrest in a tweet before I was formally charged.

croydonmps Twitter Twitter

I will be forced to leave my neighbourhood in south London for fear of reprisals due to a cack-handed approach by the Metropolitan Police. I am in hiding and my electronic devices are still held by the police.

Doyle added that he mourns “the lives lost In Brussels, Paris and Tunisia (30 Britons killed in that latter incident alone – not that my nationality means any more than others murdered by Islamic Extremists in the last six months)”.

Twitter trolls

In an interview with the Guardian, Doyle now says that he plans to make an official complaint and damages claim against the police.

“In reality, the Met added ammunition to whatever I said,” Doyle said.

They smelt blood, but got egg on both their face and reputation.

Doyle denied that he regretted sending the controversial tweets, saying “I said how I felt at that moment in time”.

If anyone fanned the flames, it was the nameless Twitter trolls who smelt a lynching on their hands.

“For the Met to bow to social media rows, it is not only foolish of them but I will be making a complaint against them and [claiming for] damages for trashing my flat, taking all my electronic stuff from my flat and forcing me to leave London,” he said.

Regarding his initial meeting with the Muslim woman, an interaction which apparently did in fact happen, Doyle said that they had a “polite conversation” before going their separate ways.

“We had a polite conversation and moved on. I thanked her for talking to me,” he said.

The conversation took place in south Croydon. If I was being either threatening or racist, she was free to report me.
Originally published 11.06am

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114 Comments
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    Mute in_zane_burger
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 3:06 PM

    Can I have my money back now

    32
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    Mute padser123
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 3:33 PM

    It’s like’…..burning your furniture – to keep warm!

    23
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 4:52 PM

    Why are PwC saying this instead of IBRC and NAMA?

    11
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    Mute Philip
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 5:20 PM

    As property prices start to rise nama , ibrc start to dump property

    Can someone explain why?

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    Mute Dara O'Brien
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 5:56 PM

    Dumping loans philip, not property. They’re Dumping the loans as they’re non-performing and want to get them off the balance sheet.

    If they had the patience, they’d put arrangements in place to allow the properties to return to positive equity and then seek a sale, this recouping more of the tax payers money.

    Unfortunately, they’ll sell the loans for a discount and allow the new purchasers to do this and net a tidy profit.

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    Mute Garry Coll
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 5:02 PM

    The article outlines that IBRC (IBROKE would probably be a better name) will offload € 15 billion in loans.
    Yet the linked article tells us that IBROKE have already offloaded 90% of its loanbook, € 19.8 billion out of € 21.7 billion leaving just € 1.9 billion on hand.
    This can only mean, if the previous article is correct, that it is NAMA that is offloading the majority of the loans.
    Why the subterfuge?
    Why make people think that this is some kind of joint enterprise when it is NAMA that is leading the charge?
    Have the shiny suit brigade from the canal something to hide?
    Given their obsession with secrecy it would not surprise me if they have, perhaps selling the loans to some preferred customer with an inside track at a serious discount.
    The way things go it will all be wrapped up before we know anything, plus ça change.

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    Mute Irish Revolution
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 2:58 PM

    Who in their right mind would buy this junk?

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    Mute Padraig McHale
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 3:01 PM

    It might only be worth 30% of face value but if you buy it for 20% it’s a good deal. For the buyer anyway.

    32
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    Mute Tony
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 3:06 PM

    @ Irish Revolution

    The Banks?

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    Mute Deirdre McDonnell
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    Apr 3rd 2014, 2:42 AM

    Hedge funds bought it. They will now sell off all the ghost estates etc at a lower price so people that have houses for sale at the min will eventually have to sell for half or take them off the market.
    Fab house here in drogheda asking price €325. Hilarious. You could now nearly get a house for that on raglan road or ailsbury road!! So that house is realistically worth less than €150 really.
    People and notions ha

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    Mute Vanessa Doyle
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    Apr 2nd 2014, 7:04 PM

    What about Bank of Scotland selling on my mortgage & others in their Irish portfolio to a company called Tanager Ltd.
    I’m in a tizzy all day because I don’t know what it means for us.

    3
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