Man arrested for posting image of burning poppy on Facebook A 19-year-old man has been arrested after posting an image of a burning poppy on Facebook. In a statement Kent Police confirmed that a man from Aylesham in Canterbury was detained last night on suspicion of making malicious telecommunications and remained in custody awaiting interview. The arrest was met with anger by users of Twitter, where a fierce debate on civil liberties and freedom of speech took place. Tom Williams, tweeting as @tomwilliamsisme, wrote: "The scary thing is, the man wasn't arrested for burning a poppy - that's not illegal. He was arrested for putting it online. Jamie's Pants, @thisisrjg, tweeted: "We do not have a right to not be offended. We certainly don't have a right to lock up someone for offending some people. David Allen Green, a journalist and lawyer for the New Statesman, tweeting as @JackofKent, wrote: "What was the point of winning either World War if, in 2012, someone can be casually arrested by Kent Police for burning a poppy?" Australian musician and comedian Tim Minchin also tweeted his incredulity, saying: "You've a right to burn a (fake!) poppy. Whether I agree with the action is utterly irrelevant. Kent Police are out of line. Nick Pickles, director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, criticised the arrest as "utterly ridiculous." He said: "Kent Police need to urgently release this man and drop an utterly ridiculous investigation into something that has harmed no-one. It is not illegal to offend people and, however idiotic or insensitive the picture may have been, it is certainly not worthy of arrest. This case highlights the urgent need to reform a law that poses a serious risk to freedom of speech after several ludicrous prosecutions in recent months. The force said in a statement: "A man is due to be interviewed by police this morning following reports that a picture of a burning poppy had been posted on a social media website. Officers were contacted at around 4pm yesterday and alerted to the picture, which was reportedly accompanied by an offensive comment. Following an investigation by Kent Police, a 19-year-old Canterbury man was arrested on suspicion of an offence under the Malicious Communications Act. He is currently in custody.