The Free Speech Union
@SpeechUnion • 216,527 subscribers
A mass membership organisation dedicated to upholding free speech. To join, go to https://t.co/w67y4KlzV6. Membership fees start at £4.99 a month
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👋 Hi Andy Burnham! We know you’re busy preparing to be crowned Labour leader — and our next Prime Minister — but could you please reply to our letter? FSU General Secretary Lord Young wrote to Andy Burnham in his capacity as Mayor of Greater Manchester after it emerged that senior chiefs at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) sent an email to staff warning of firefighters who had supported or stood for Reform UK. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham has been responsible for the governance of GMFRS. In his letter, Lord Young wrote: “Staff are further invited to report colleagues who support any groups that go against the service’s values, which effectively amounts to an instruction to inform on colleagues for their political beliefs.” He added: “The practical effect is that a public fire and rescue service governed by you is treating the lawful political activity of your electoral opponents as a reputational risk to their employer. “Regardless of whether this reflects your instruction, it reflects your governance; and a public office-holder who permits his institution to demonise or chill the speech and political activity of those who support his principal electoral rival cannot claim to be discharging that office with the impartiality it demands.” So, Andy, when you have a spare moment, a response would be much appreciated. Watch Lord Young below 👇
The Free Speech Union59,822 views • 1 day ago
📣🚨 FSU Victory!! The Free Speech Union has just heard from South Wales Police that it has withdrawn its guidance on “anti-Muslim hostility”. The force had effectively adopted its own Islamic blasphemy law, instructing officers to record any conversation that went beyond “legitimate” discussion of Islam. Under this guidance, criticism of Islam could have been recorded as an anti-social behaviour incident and potentially appeared on DBS checks, affecting someone’s ability to work as a teacher, carer, or in other regulated professions. South Wales Police has backed down because the Free Speech Union threatened them with a judicial review if it chose to press ahead with the policy. The force has described this move as a “pause” to the guidance — but we think it is highly unlikely to return. We must also thank Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho for referring South Wales Police to the Equality and Human Rights Commission after we brought this issue to her attention. Blasphemy laws were abolished by Parliament 18 years ago. We must not allow them to return through the back door. Let this be a warning to any other public body — particularly police forces — considering the adoption of its own blasphemy laws. Watch Lord Young below 👇
The Free Speech Union341,536 views • 15 days ago
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING: An American cancer patient and Trump supporter was confronted by British police and told to apologise for her online posts or face an investigation. Deborah Anderson, a mother of two, was visited at her home in June by an officer from Thames Valley Police. He told her someone had lodged a complaint about her social media posts. She told him she was an American citizen and a member of the Free Speech Union and he should be investigating burglaries and rapes, not hurty words on social media. Chillingly, he told her he was there to get her to apologise to the person who was offended by her posts. If she refused, she’d be questioned down at the station. What was Deborah’s supposed crime? The policeman didn’t tell her. Was it her passionate support of President Trump and the MAGA movement on her Facebook and X pages? To make it worse, Deborah is in the midst of cancer treatment, including chemotherapy. She ought to be have been convalescing. Instead, she was harassed for her tweets. The FSU took on her case and, as a result, the police have now dropped their investigation. But they still haven’t told Deborah which of her posts got her into trouble, claiming they’ve accidentally deleted the record of the complaint. Thames Valley Police are responsible for guarding President Trump this week. What would he make of the fact that those same officers are visiting the homes of his supporters – including US citizens – and threatening them with arrest.
The Free Speech Union6,442,159 views • 9 months ago
In the House of Lords this afternoon, our General Secretary Lord Young of Acton asked Baroness Lloyd of Effra how she reconciles the Government's plans to ban children from accessing platforms like X, Facebook and YouTube with the 'keep up' duties in s15 and s16 of the Online Safety Act – namely, the duties not to remove or restrict content of democratic importance or journalistic content? He pointed out that it's particularly important that access to that content isn't restricted for 16 and 17 year-olds, given that the Government is planning to lower the voting age to 16.
The Free Speech Union117,384 views • 8 days ago
The Free Speech Union has mixed feelings about Sir Keir Starmer’s departure as Prime Minister. On the one hand, he was no friend of free speech. On the other, he has been an outstanding recruiting sergeant for the FSU. Since he came to power in July 2024, the Free Speech Union’s membership has grown from 14,000 to 45,000. Unfortunately, we have little faith that Andy Burnham will be any better when it comes to free speech. Burnham has already called for greater restrictions on social media, and the Representation of the People Bill is likely to contain all kinds of threats to free speech. There is also no indication that he will abandon plans to ban “conversion therapy”, legislation that could see parents investigated or even prosecuted for conversations with their gender-confused children. It won’t be long before Sir Keir hands the authoritarian lanyard to Andy. The Free Speech Union will be watching closely. Watch Lord Young’s reaction to the Prime Minister’s resignation below 👇
The Free Speech Union36,118 views • 2 days ago
Matthew Wright proves our point on LBC this morning. The official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as “anti-Muslim hostility” — is already silencing legitimate debate and criticism of Islam and its practices. It amounts to a de facto Muslim blasphemy law. The treatment of Nick Timothy by Labour MPs is deeply sinister. The Shadow Justice Secretary criticised mass Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square, was reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, branded “Islamophobic”, and faced calls to resign from Labour MPs and even the Prime Minister. This morning, FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw was invited on to discuss the comments made by Nick Timothy. Matthew Wright didn’t want to hear it. After the interview, he told another guest he had “closed her down” because she was “putting out anti-Muslim hatred”. Farcical. In a crowded field, Matthew is this week’s runner up as for chief enforcer of the blasphemy law this week. 👏
The Free Speech Union787,348 views • 3 months ago
The Free Speech Union has serious concerns about the Government’s proposal to ban under-16s from some social media platforms (but not others). When the proposal was first announced, ministers cited supposedly 'harmful' platforms such as X, Facebook and YouTube, but made no mention of the left-leaning Bluesky. A selective ban, rather than a blanket one, means Ofcom will be tasked with enforcing the political preferences of whichever government happens to be in power. If there's a change of government, will X be taken off the banned list and Bluesky put in its place? Another concern is enforcement. How exactly does the Government intend to make the ban work in practice? In Australia — the model ministers appear keen to follow — many under-16s continue to access social media through VPNs. Will the Government’s next step be to ban VPNs as well? That would put the UK in the same company as Turkmenistan, Iran and North Korea. The Government has also failed to explain how this proposal can be reconciled with its duties under the Online Safety Act to protect content of democratic importance and journalistic content — duties that are due to come into force next month. This is particularly important given the Government’s intention to extend some social media restrictions to 16 and 17 year-olds and at the same time lower the voting age to 16. How can 16 and 17 year-olds be expected to participate meaningfully in the democratic process if the Government is restricting the content of democratic importance and the journalistic content they're able to access? The Free Speech Union will be keeping a wary eye on the Government’s plans 👇
The Free Speech Union54,420 views • 7 days ago
📣🚨GRAHAM LINEHAN ACQUITTED OF CRIMINAL DAMAGE “The decision of the Court to throw out this case , is very welcome – but this case should never have got to court. There has been a troubling pattern of police forces around the country to ‘believe’ trans-rights activists, time and time again, even when there has been overwhelming evidence that complaints have been made against gender critical campaigners, in bad faith. The police have failed in their duty to properly and fairly investigate – preferring instead to support one side over the other in a debate. All this has done is erode the faith the public should be able to have in the police. We are sick of two tier policing and I hope with today’s verdict it will end. I have suffered greatly in my fight to protect women and children from what I believe to be a dangerous ideology. But I am proud that I have never given in and I will not do. I have been lifted through support from friends and strangers, from women’s rights groups to London cabbies who have taken the time to stop and shake my hand. I am very grateful to my legal team; Daniel Berke and Sarah Vine KC and to the team at the Free Speech Union”.
The Free Speech Union264,084 views • 1 month ago
Today, we woke to the sickening scenes of a Sudanese man attempting to behead another man on the streets of Belfast. In the aftermath, we’ve seen the all-too-familiar damage-control operation from the authorities. People are being urged not to share the footage or comment on the incident because it may cause division, distress the family, or fuel the “far right”. In a democratic society, people have the right to share footage of events that take place in public and to discuss why such horrific acts keep happening in our country. Hear from FSU Case Management Director Benjamin Jones 👇
The Free Speech Union65,845 views • 15 days ago
📣🚨Karen Webb, an NHS specialist nurse with 42 years’ experience working with older people, faced losing her honorary Queen’s Nurse title after being reported for gender-critical posts on X. The situation began during what should have been a standard team meeting. In the informal chat before proceedings began, Karen, in response to another colleague, expressed support for the Olympic Committee’s decision to exclude male athletes from women’s sporting categories. Within minutes, she received a private message from the Trust’s Head of Equality and Inclusion, informing her that she had “upset a lot of people”. The following day, she was told that her “attitude” towards transgender individuals needed to be discussed. Three months later, Karen was called to a formal meeting with senior figures at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, where she was questioned about her views on trans people and her ability to provide them with compassionate care. Believing the matter to have been resolved, Karen was then contacted by the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN), which informed her that it had received a complaint about alleged “transphobia” and “bigotry”. She was instructed to delete her social media posts or risk losing her honorary title. The experience caused her significant and understandable distress. At that point, Karen turned to the Free Speech Union for support. The FSU wrote to QICN on her behalf, setting out her legally protected right to hold and express gender-critical beliefs under the Equality Act 2010. Shortly thereafter, QICN dropped its investigation and issued a full apology, acknowledging that there was “no case to answer” and that Karen had “done nothing wrong”. Following a Subject Access Request (SAR), it emerged that the complaint had been made by a senior activist colleague, who had also disclosed information from a confidential internal process – despite that matter having been closed without any disciplinary action. This disclosure appeared to be a malicious attempt to damage Karen’s professional reputation and facilitate the removal of her honorary title. A subsequent grievance investigation by the NHS Trust upheld Karen’s complaint, finding that confidential information had been improperly shared with QICN. The Trust accepted that Karen had a reasonable expectation that discussions within the internal process would remain private, and confirmed that this expectation had been breached. The Trust has since stated that “appropriate action will be taken” to ensure lessons are learned and similar incidents do not occur again. Although the Free Speech Union was ultimately able to protect Karen’s title and prevent disciplinary action, the experience has left a lasting impact. Now retired, she reflects that the episode has cast a shadow over what should have been the culmination of a long and dedicated career in nursing. This sad episode resulted in Karen deciding it was time to retire. We are proud to have supported Karen during this difficult time. Cases like hers are far from isolated – more than 40 per cent of the Free Speech Union’s casework now involves individuals facing repercussions for expressing gender-critical beliefs, which are protected under the Equality Act 2010. Watch Karen share her story and join the Free Speech Union below 👇
The Free Speech Union288,425 views • 2 months ago
Watch our General Secretary Lord Young ask Baroness Lloyd how the Government plans to safeguard against the obvious risk of requiring technology companies like Apple to scan private messages before they're received or sent — what's known as client-side scanning? History teaches us that that mass surveillance and censorship capabilities, however well intentioned, never remain narrowly scoped. Watch Lord Young below 👇
The Free Speech Union57,930 views • 15 days ago
📺 Watch this video to find out about our latest case — it's arguably our biggest yet. ⚽️ If you're a fan of a Premier League team, and you've ever expressed lawful but non-woke views on social media, please CLICK the link to use our new, automatic form to submit a subject access request, both to your Premier League club and to the Premier League itself. 🤐 If you find out they have been keeping tabs on your political views, let us know and it will help us put a stop to this flagrant interference in free speech.
The Free Speech Union3,037,051 views • 2 years ago
In October 2024, the Free Speech Union came to the aid of Rick Prior, the elected Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, after he was suspended for saying that rank-and-file officers had become so fearful of complaints of racism — and potentially losing their jobs — that they no longer dared challenge allegations of racism, particularly when made by people of colour. According to Prior, some officers were reluctant to intervene when they suspected a crime was being committed if the perpetrator was a black or brown person for fear of being accused of racism. Fortunately, with our support, Rick Prior won his Given the circumstance of Henry Nowak's death, it's clear that Rick Prior was right to raise these concerns. The police have overcorrected in response to the perception that the force is institutionally racist, and that needs to be addressed. People like Rick Prior — and other elected federation chairs — must be free to speak out about what they believe has gone wrong and propose common-sense solutions without risking suspension or dismissal. The lack of free speech within policing on these issues has contributed to the current state of affairs in which officers appear to be more concerned about not following up accusations of racism than protecting people from violent criminals. Watch the Free Speech Union’s General Secretary, Lord Young, below 👇
The Free Speech Union75,189 views • 21 days ago
📣🚨The Free Speech Union is mounting a legal challenge against the Government over its official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as 'anti-Muslim hatred' — and its appointment of a new 'tsar' to punish people who fall foul of it. This amounts to a Muslim blasphemy law via the back door. The definition is vague and subjective, and will be weaponised to silence legitimate criticism and debate about Islam, Muslims, and Islamic practices and history. The FSU’s General Secretary, Lord Young of Acton, said: “This is the most serious threat to free speech the Government has come up with so far — the only area in which it’s achieving any success. “If we don’t win this fight, tens of thousands of people a year could lose their jobs at the say-so of a Labour-appointed ‘tsar’. It’s dystopian.” Public bodies will adopt this definition — despite it being non-statutory — with the same zeal the police have shown in investigating and recording non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). It is predicted by one of the drafters of the definition that it could lead to around 20,000 reports of 'anti-Muslim hostility' a year. At present, the number of recorded anti-Muslim hate crimes is around 4,000. In a free society, no religion should be shielded from legitimate criticism. This proposal places one faith above the rest. The Free Speech Union is bringing a legal challenge on two grounds. First, the definition relies on nebulous, legally undefined terms such as “negative and prejudicial stereotyping of Muslims”, making it incoherent and irrational — and ripe for weaponisation. Second, adopting such a definition cuts across legislation already enacted by Parliament and therefore breaches the public law principle known as “occupying the field”. Under this established public law doctrine, new regulations, put in place by ministers, must not replace existing legislation. It is constitutionally unlawful. In this case, the body responsible for protecting Muslims from discrimination is the Equality and Human Rights Commission, not an anti-Muslim hostility 'tsar'. Parliament voted to abolish blasphemy laws 18 years ago. We can't let this Government resurrect them via the back door. This is one of the biggest battles the Free Speech Union has ever taken on in its six years — and we need your help. Judicial reviews are expensive, but this is a fight we felt we had to take on. Donate to our crowdfunder below👇
The Free Speech Union351,733 views • 3 months ago
A charity cancelled a choir because its leader believes that women do not have penises. Scope, a charity which supports disabled people, had invited a community choir to cheer on runners at the London Marathon under its banner. But just days before the marathon, Scope rescinded the invitation because the choir leader, Janet Murray, has publicly stated that she believes women are biologically female and that women should be entitled to single-sex spaces. Scope said these views conflicted with its “commitment to diversity and inclusion”. In correspondence with Janet, the charity reportedly said: “We are concerned about your views because we don’t agree with your views.” It seems Scope is more concerned about policing lawful opinions than supporting its charitable work on behalf of disabled people — many of whom rely on single-sex care and spaces themselves. Cases involving people being penalised for gender-critical beliefs remain one of the largest categories of cases handled by the Free Speech Union. Under the Equality Act, gender-critical beliefs are protected philosophical beliefs. Janet is a member of the Free Speech Union and is taking legal action against Scope alleging unlawful discrimination on the basis of her protected beliefs. If you have been discriminated against because of your belief that sex is biological and immutable, join the Free Speech Union — and we will stand up for your right to express lawful opinions. Hear from Connie Shaw below and join the FSU 👇
The Free Speech Union84,946 views • 1 month ago
“I appreciate the Free Speech Union. While I haven’t needed you in the past, I’ve always appreciated knowing that, in a pinch, I can turn to you.” Bestselling author Lionel Shriver joins the Free Speech Union’s General Secretary, Lord Young, on this week’s episode of the FSU Podcast. It’s a great watch. Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel 👇
The Free Speech Union15,201 views • 4 days ago
“Twenty-five years ago, the political class was more willing to engage in open debate.” Today, there is an attempt to cast legitimate criticism of prevailing orthodoxies — whether on diversity, Islam, immigration, or climate change — as misinformation, disinformation, or hate speech. At the heart of the free speech crisis is an unwillingness on the part of the promoters of these policies to defend them in public. Instead of engaging in good-faith debate, they portray critics as beyond the pale. In this relatively recent phenomenon, people are increasingly realising that if they challenge a certain cluster of prevailing orthodoxies, they are likely to be cancelled. We must push back against this. Watch the General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, speaking at our event in Belfast 👇
The Free Speech Union48,047 views • 18 days ago
“It’s going to cause unnecessary conflict if the police enforce the law.” Rick Prior was sacked as elected chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation after saying on GB News that the officers he represented were concerned about vexatious racism complaints for simply doing their jobs. In an effort to avoid appearing “institutionally racist”, police forces have swung so far in the opposite direction that they now discriminate against white people — particularly white working-class men. With the support of the Free Speech Union, the High Court later found that Mr Prior had been unlawfully treated by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW). The Metropolitan Police subsequently asked him to draft new DEI guidelines — only to ignore them. Rick has also written the foreword to the FSU’s new briefing, Fear and Favour: Britain’s Policing Emergency. Policing in Britain has gone woke — and the consequences are proving fatal. Watch the FSU Director of Policy and Research David Rose and Rick Prior on the FSU Podcast below and read our new briefing 👇
The Free Speech Union30,297 views • 11 days ago
“I’d gone through this London Police Race Action Plan and I just couldn’t believe what I was reading.” On this week’s episode of the FSU Podcast, Policy and Research Director David Rose sits down with former chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Rick Prior. Rick was dismissed from his role after saying in a GB News interview that rank-and-file officers were concerned about vexatious allegations of racism. In the wake of the tragic murder of Henry Nowak, serious questions have been raised about both the policies governing our police and the culture within them — and the consequences that follow. In an attempt to avoid appearing “institutionally racist”, the police have swung so far in the opposite direction that they now discriminate against white people, particularly white working-class men. Rick reflects on his experience as a police officer, his time as chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, and his work in the Met Police’s Culture, Diversity and Inclusion department. The police have gone woke — and the consequences are proving fatal. Watch the FSU Podcast below 👇
The Free Speech Union33,741 views • 13 days ago
The official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as “anti-Muslim hostility” — will be used to suppress legitimate criticism of Islam and its practices. We are already seeing this play out. Less than a week after the Communities Secretary, Steve Reed, published the definition — assuring the public it would not stifle legitimate criticism of Islam — Nick Timothy is facing calls to resign after criticising mass ritual prayer by Muslims in Trafalgar Square. He has been accused of “anti-Muslim hostility” by a Labour MP and reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. This is a Muslim blasphemy law by the back door. Today, the Free Speech Union has sent a pre-action letter to Steve Reed, threatening judicial review if the definition and guidance are not withdrawn immediately. This is one of the biggest fights we’ve taken on in our six-year history. Help us stop the Government’s de facto Muslim blasphemy law 👇
The Free Speech Union214,975 views • 3 months ago