Free speech is a hallmark of a healthy democratic society and the bedrock on which all our other freedoms rest, yet it is currently in greater peril than at any time since the Second World War. That is why it is more important than ever that we stand up for it.
The Free Speech Union was founded in February 2020 as a non-partisan, mass-membership public interest body that defends the speech rights of its members and campaigns for free expression more broadly. It exists to champion the rights of people from all walks of life to express themselves without fear of punishment or persecution.
Since its founding, the Free Speech Union has fought over 5,100 cases and receives, on average, 75 requests for help every week. In cases that have reached a conclusion, we have been successful in roughly 80 per cent. This year alone, we have taken on almost 2,000 cases.
Many people assume that being cancelled or silenced only happens to high-profile figures such as Graham Linehan or J.K. Rowling, but this could not be further from the truth. Most of the people we help are ordinary individuals simply getting on with their lives – NHS workers, supermarket assistants, veterans, and parents.
Increasingly, we have seen people targeted online by those who do not share their worldview. We have also seen the police adopt an overzealous approach to policing speech on social media, with Graham Linehan arrested at Heathrow Airport by five armed officers for three posts on X. In 2023, 90 per cent of all crimes went unsolved, while 13,800 people were arrested for “offensive” posts and messages online – more than 30 people a day.
The Free Speech Union’s mission has become even more important as we witness increasingly sinister attempts to silence debate and cancel those who do not subscribe to the current orthodoxy.
While the Prime Minister claims that the UK does not have a free speech problem, the evidence shows otherwise. From the “Banter Ban” clause in the Employment Rights Bill, to David Lammy’s proposals to restrict jury trials, Non-Crime Hate Incidents, and the overreach of the Online Safety Act, the state of free speech in the UK is becoming increasingly perilous.
Even the UK’s closest ally, the United States, has repeatedly raised concerns about the rapid retreat of free expression in Britain, none more vocally than Vice President JD Vance. It was even reported recently in The Telegraph that the White House was considering offering political asylum to British “thought criminals”.
Now, more than ever before, we must stand up for freedom of speech.
If you are concerned that you might run into trouble at work, university, or in your day-to-day life, join the Free Speech Union.