A UK teen made fun of a local politician. Then police showed up at his door.

It’s easy to take free speech for granted when it’s all you’ve known as an American — but look no further than the United Kingdom for a reminder of why our First Amendment is so important.That’s where a 15-year-old boy was awakened by four West Midlands police officers early one morning this August, because his Facebook posts allegedly offended a local politician.The case is a stark reminder to all Americans of just how important our rights are — and how even nations in the supposedly “free” world can devolve into dystopian censorship regimes without those protections.A teen from Walsall identified as Fraser is a precocious activist and Reform UK supporter who has immersed himself in local politics, showing up to meetings and even door-knocking for his favorite politicians.But snide comments he made about a local Conservative councillor landed him in the middle of a police investigation for harassment, malicious communications and even a hate crime.Fraser posted an altered photo of Conservative councillor Simon Bennett with bunny ears and captioned it, “Nibble… nibble… crunch… crunch Can you hear it? That’s the sound of a rabbit devouring the last remaining shreds of Wolverhampton Conservatives’ credibility.”He also criticized Bennett for wearing shorts and a T-shirt to a council meeting, then joked when Bennett showed up in a suit one day that at least he “was not looking like a rent boy,” slang for a male prostitute.As a result, four cops in two police cruisers showed up at his door, arrested him, and seized his devices in front of his mother and neighbors, before they brought him to the station where they collected DNA, fingerprinted him, and questioned him.The Free Speech Union (FSU), which has taken on Fraser’s case, received an email from the police saying it “is alleged that your client’s comments could be considered a hate crime offense.” The teen is back home but still is anxiously waiting to see if he will be charg...