The Free Speech Union
@SpeechUnion • 223,894 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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“It makes looking after gay children a crime...this bill causes — and not prevents — gay conversion therapy”, says Dennis Kavanagh. The Bill is both confusing and confused. It is framed as protecting vulnerable people from coercive attempts to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. In reality, it risks criminalising well-intentioned conversations and imprisoning parents, teachers, therapists, religious communities and even friends. Speaking at the Free Speech Union and Genspect’s event in Belfast on Friday, criminal barrister and co-director of the Gay Men’s Network Dennis Kavanagh highlighted that the law already rightly bans abusive conversion practices. This Bill would create new offences that could criminalise important conversations between parents and their gender-confused children. It will inevitably and inadvertently harm the very children it purports to protect by casting “the shadow of criminal law across your kitchen table”. Watch Dennis and the full event below 👇
The Free Speech Union91,030 views • 1 day ago
Rupert Lowe has been reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over his repeated comments about Muslims, Islam and the crimes committed by some Pakistani men. The complaint focuses on Rupert Lowe MP’s use of the term “Pakistani Muslim rape gangs”, his claim of an “undeniable link” between Islam and the grooming gangs, and his warnings about the “Islamification of Britain”. We’ve been here before. The Shadow Justice Secretary, Nick Timothy, was reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards by Labour MPs after criticising a mass Muslim public prayer event in Trafalgar Square. The Labour Government promised that its “anti-Muslim hostility” definition would not silence criticism of Islam, Muslims or their practices. It has. Since the start of this process, the Free Speech Union has warned that the definition would stifle important discussions about issues such as the grooming gangs scandal and Islamist extremism. This censorious attitude is precisely what led to these heinous crimes being ignored by public bodies and authorities, which feared being branded racist or “Islamophobic” for pointing out what Baroness Casey highlighted in her review: that Pakistani Muslim men were disproportionately responsible for these horrific crimes. The Islamophobia definition is emboldening those who want to shut down these conversations. We cannot let an Islamic blasphemy law take root in Britain. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw 👇
The Free Speech Union63,835 views • 1 day ago
🚨 MUSLIM ACTIVISTS ATTEMPT TO CANCEL NATIONAL TREASURE. The group “Deenified” has tried to cancel comedian John Cleese over his so-called “Islamophobia”. Deenified posted a video on social media accusing the Fawlty Towers star of being a “hate preacher” and of using his platform to “attack Islam”. It also called for his comedy show in Birmingham — part of a national tour — to be cancelled. The Islamic website 5Pillars joined in, suggesting that demands for Cleese’s shows to be cancelled could be replicated in other parts of the country with “substantial Muslim communities”. Fortunately, John’s show in Birmingham went ahead without disruption. The Free Speech Union stands squarely with John Cleese and his right to free speech. Parliament voted to abolish blasphemy laws 18 years ago, but the Government’s official definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” is reintroducing one for Islam alone through the back door. This move has further emboldened those who wish to silence legitimate criticism of Islam, its history and its practices. It is not a crime to criticise, debate or mock any religion in Britain. We must not let an Islamic blasphemy law take root. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw 👇
The Free Speech Union186,906 views • 5 days ago
Andy Burnham used his first speech at the UN to unveil the creation of a new ‘National Centre for Information Defence’ — aka Labour’s ‘Ministry of Truth’. The Prime Minister said that it was intended to protect us from information warfare by Russia. But he quickly added that he hoped it would preserve community cohesion and counter narratives about British decline that are contributing to social unrest. Burnham has made it blatantly obvious what this new government body is really about: tackling dissenting voices, those who wish to speak about mainstream issues affecting the country — such as the scale of mass uncontrolled immigration — and those who criticise the Government’s handling of the situation. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and veteran Labour MP, Emily Thornberry, praised the move as ‘long overdue’. But what she neglected to mention is that at least nine other similar Orwellian agencies are already operating in Whitehall, with at least half focusing on monitoring and flagging those who post critical or counter-narrative content on social media. This new centre is just the latest tool added to Labour’s ever-expanding ecosystem of censorship and domestic surveillance. The General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, has said that the Government is acting like a colonial power, regarding Britons as the occupants of a foreign country who need to be monitored to nip any potential rebellions in the bud. We already know that more than 62,000 people have been arrested for speech-related offences over the past five years. That’s an average of 34 people a day. If you are worried that one of these Orwellian agencies in Whitehall might come after you for something you have said online, join the Free Speech Union. The level of censorship in Britain today is far worse than we could ever have imagined. Watch Lord Young and join the FSU today 👇
The Free Speech Union19,556 views • 18 hours 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 Union6,445,281 views • 1 year ago
🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS: Animal rights campaigner, Anneka Svenska, was visited at home by two police officers and told to accept a police record, attend an “online thinking” course, or face arrest following comments she made on social media about the incineration of beagles at a company that breeds the dogs for use in medical research. The police alleged that she had committed a crime under the Online Safety Act. Anneka refused to accept this “community resolution disposal”, which would have remained on her police record, and, after she engaged a lawyer, the case has now been dropped. Section 179 of the Online Safety Act was introduced by the last Conservative Government and made it a crime, punishable by up to 51 weeks in prison, to knowingly spread false information likely to cause harm. While the Bill was going through Parliament, the FSU warned it might be weaponised in this way to silence legitimate political speech. Anneka doesn’t believe the information she spread about the company was false. In fact, she has documentary evidence which she says substantiates her claims. Until the Online Safety Act was passed, the company unhappy about comments like this would have had to bring a defamation claim in the civil courts. Now, it seems, hurty words online can quickly become a police matter – and it seems that companies are now making criminal complaints as part of their brand protection strategies. If you are visited by the police for a speech matter, we’d urge you to take specialist legal advice before accepting any form of caution or submitting to a re-education course. Members of the Free Speech Union can ask for our help if they find themselves in a similar situation.
The Free Speech Union797,300 views • 2 months ago
📣🚨 METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFER UNRESERVED APOLOGY TO GRAHAM LINEHAN AND PAY HIM £25,000 The Metropolitan Police have at long last offered an unreserved apology to Graham Linehan and paid him £25,000. Last September, the Irish comedian and co-creator of Father Ted was arrested by five armed police officers as he landed at Heathrow Airport. His crime? Three gender-critical posts on X. He was arrested, taken to a police station and questioned for several hours. In the early hours of the following morning, he was rushed to hospital after his blood pressure rose to dangerously high levels. The Free Speech Union is proud to have supported Graham in taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest and breaches of his free speech rights. General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, has said: “I’m beginning to lose count of the number of cases we’ve fought in which the police have arrested someone for a tweet, decided to take no further action and then had to pay them substantial compensation for wrongful arrest. “At some point you’d think the penny would drop: police our streets, not our tweets.” While we welcome the Metropolitan Police’s apology and compensation payout to Graham Linehan, this should never have happened in the first place. It is high time the police focused on our streets, not our tweets. Watch Graham’s reaction below 👇
The Free Speech Union1,041,410 views • 2 months ago
Some of you may remember a video that emerged last year showing West Midlands Police arriving at the home of a teenage girl after she was accused of a malicious communications offence for watching a TikTok video featuring a photograph of a teacher alongside negative comments. It inevitably went viral and is a clear sign of how far free speech has fallen in the UK. The girl was forced to hand over her devices or face arrest. Her mother agreed to a voluntary interview at the police station. After a lengthy investigation by West Midlands Police, the case was dropped. As Big Brother Watch’s Jake Hurfurt reveals in this week’s FSU Podcast with David Rose, the force did not even check the IP address from which the video was uploaded — which would have shown that another child had created it. In the end, both children faced no further action. In response to the disturbing video the mother took of officers entering their home, the police issued an extraordinary statement saying they were investigating an allegation of malicious communications and describing the case as “incredibly serious”. Surely the police should be focusing on real crimes on our streets, not a TikTok video? The force later removed the statement from its website, but never corrected the false allegation or admitted it was wrong. This is what we are up against in the fight for free speech in the UK. Watch the latest episode of the FSU Podcast below 👇
The Free Speech Union111,246 views • 12 days ago
The Free Speech Union is taking an interest in the story of Jason Arday for a number of reasons. First, we want to know who paid for the threatening letter from the law firm Carter-Ruck — effectively a SLAPP — that was sent to Times Higher Education in an attempt to get journalist Jack Grove to stop asking Professor Arday questions about his academic record. Was it Jason Arday himself? The University of Cambridge? Or the Good Law Project? Second, we want to know who reported both the academic and former professor David Harris and Times Higher Education journalist Jack Grove to the police, alleging harassment after they began asking Arday questions about his academic and extracurricular record. In David Harris’s case, the Metropolitan Police referred the complaint to Devon and Cornwall Police, which rightly decided there was nothing to investigate. But in Jack Grove’s case, he was contacted by the police and informed that he had been the subject of a four-month investigation by the Met. While officers said they would be taking no further action, he was told he should refrain from questioning Jason Arday again because it was also affecting Arday’s mental health. The police should never be telling journalists whom they can and cannot question — particularly when there are legitimate questions that need answering. Powerful people should not be able to use the police to silence journalists and academics who are simply asking questions and doing their jobs. The Free Speech Union has written to Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to ask what on earth his officers were playing at. He has yet to reply. If Jason Arday was the person who reported these individuals to the police, that is one thing. But if it was the University of Cambridge, that would be even more serious — and is something FSU General Secretary Lord Young will be raising in Parliament in due course. Watch Lord Young below 👇
The Free Speech Union387,587 views • 1 month ago
🎙️🚨 THE MEDICALISATION OF WRONGTHINK — AND A SPEED AWARENESS COURSE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS! Animal rights campaigner Anneka Svenska had two police officers turn up at her door and tell her to accept a police record, attend an “online thinking” course or face arrest over comments she made on social media about the incineration of beagles at a company that breeds dogs for use in medical research. They threatened to arrest her under Section 179 of the Online Safety Act unless she accepted these conditions. Thankfully, Anneka refused to accept the “community resolution disposal”, which would have remained on her police record. After she engaged a lawyer, the case was dropped. This thinking course is deeply sinister. It is essentially a combination of a speed awareness course for your thoughts and a therapy session aimed at changing the way people think. It is the medicalisation of wrongthink. And it isn’t free: one police force charges £175 to attend. As FSU Director of Policy and Research David Rose explains in the latest episode of the FSU Podcast, this is reminiscent of the Soviet Union, where dissidents were sent to psychiatric hospitals. Watch the latest episode of the FSU Podcast on our YouTube channel 👇
The Free Speech Union49,453 views • 6 days ago
"It's yet another thing the Government seems to be trying to do under our noses and think that we will not notice." The Government is spreading misinformation about misinformation in order to justify mass censorship on social media. The argument that mis- and disinformation is to blame for political division and unrest in society has been repeated so often that it has acquired the status of fact. Earlier this year, the Government released a green paper called Watch This Space proposing that social media platforms should be legally obliged to promote "trustworthy" news sources to the top of users' feeds. This is primarily public broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. In other words, the Government wants to control the information you see. These proposals have been met with fierce opposition from the Trump administration and the senior US Congressman Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. If this did not sound dystopian enough already, FSU Policy and Research Director David Rose has written a report exposing how the Government has used dubious evidence to justify its call for mass censorship, whilst ignoring strong evidence which contradicts its claims. It is much easier to blame the likes of Elon Musk for the political division in society. Michelle O'Neill, the Sinn Féin First Minister of Northern Ireland, held Elon Musk responsible for the riots in Belfast that followed the video of a Sudanese migrant allegedly attempting to murder a local man by repeatedly knifing him. Keir Starmer also claimed there were people "trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets". It seems that our political leaders fail to consider that perhaps the public are just witnessing events unfolding around them, rather than being maliciously fed misinformation? The FSU will not allow the Government to get away with this unnoticed. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw on GB News 👇
The Free Speech Union88,810 views • 15 days ago
🚨 THE GOVERNMENT IS TAKING US FOR MUGS ONCE AGAIN. Britain is rapidly becoming the North Korea of the North Sea — and once again, the Government is taking us for mugs. This Government’s weird obsession with “misinformation” — which it is shamelessly weaponising — knows no bounds. Under its new media green paper, the Government plans to place social media platforms under a legal obligation to promote state-approved “trustworthy” news sources, such as the BBC, while demoting more critical outlets like GB News and independent journalists. The US is rightly fed up with the Government’s abject disregard for free speech — both online and offline. Last week, UK officials were hauled into the US Embassy in London and reprimanded over Labour’s pursuit of even greater online censorship. US officials warned that Washington would view this as a form of censorship, and that it could provide a blueprint for future authoritarian governments seeking to clamp down on free speech and freedom of the press. This obsession with so-called “misinformation” is based on sand. The Government claims that social media platforms promote misinformation for profit, basing this assertion on a single academic paper from a low-ranking university in Indonesia, while conveniently ignoring research showing that misinformation is not the massive threat it claims. The Government had a predetermined view of what it wanted the research to show, so it ignored world-leading academics. If Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, is so concerned about the threat of misinformation, why did she flounce off X in a huff rather than stay and challenge it through more debate? Watch FSU Campaigns Officer Max Thompson and read David Rose’s briefing below 👇
The Free Speech Union26,845 views • 4 days ago
📣🚨 Northern Ireland is set to ban honest conversations about sex and gender between adults and children. Join the The Free Speech Union and Genspect in Belfast on Friday 25 September to find out more about the proposed law — and how to fight it. Speakers include Fiona McAnena from Sex Matters; Dr Stella O’Malley from Genspect; Shelley Charlesworth from Transgender Trend; barrister Dennis Kavanagh from the Gay Men’s Network; James Kennedy from the Christian Institute Northern Ireland; and clinical psychologist Jaco van Zyl from Critical Therapy Antidote. 🎟️ Get tickets below 👇
The Free Speech Union31,026 views • 6 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 Union788,215 views • 6 months ago
Angela Rayner has serious questions to answer. It is now almost certain that extremists had the opportunity to influence the drafting of the definition of anti-Muslim hostility. At the start of the year, the FSU exposed troubling links between all five members of the Working Group tasked with drafting the Islamophobia definition and Islamist extremists. This included links to the Muslim Council of Britain and MEND — organisations with which successive governments have had a policy of non-engagement since 2009, due to their extreme views. A Freedom of Information request by Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy has now revealed that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government deleted all responses to the Working Group’s consultation. Why would the Government do that unless it had something to hide? Did Ministers instruct officials to delete the submissions? Did extremists have the opportunity to influence a policy decision that would revive Britain’s blasphemy laws for Islam alone? Why would the department delete— in an apparent breach of the Government’s own data policy —information that is a matter of historical importance? The public deserves the truth. Watch FSU Campaigns Officer Max Thompson below 👇
The Free Speech Union50,486 views • 14 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 Union3,037,356 views • 2 years ago
If you need any more evidence that an Islamic blasphemy law has taken root in Britain, look no further than the case of Stephen Gray. It is truly one of the most extraordinary cases the FSU has ever come across. A former police officer who gave 30 years of public service had a knock at the door from the police after his neighbour reported him for reposting something on Facebook. In April, Stephen was convicted of being “grossly offensive” — an offence under the Communications Act 2003 — for reposting a joke about Islam. The post featured an image of a rasher of bacon and a man in a turban, accompanied by the text: “Fun facts about bacon! People who eat bacon have a lower chance of marrying a 9 year old!” While giving evidence, Stephen explained that the post was a reference to the marriage between the Prophet Mohammed and Aisha, which occurred when she was six and was consummated when she was nine. It was a satirical post, but also sought to make a serious point about child marriage. But the district judge wasn’t having any of it. Stephen was ordered to pay £1,100 in fines, plus legal costs, and now has a criminal conviction. The Free Speech Union is supporting Stephen in appealing his conviction. If you are still in any doubt that Britain’s blasphemy laws have returned, 18 years after Parliament voted to abolish them — for Islam alone — take a look at Stephen’s case. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw explain and donate to the fundraiser 👇
The Free Speech Union126,307 views • 1 month 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 Union342,800 views • 3 months ago
Britain now has an Islamic blasphemy law via the backdoor, thanks to the Government's official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as "anti-Muslim hostility". From the start, the Free Speech Union warned that any such definition would have a chilling effect on free speech and stifle our right to criticise, debate, and mock religion in this country. We were proved right almost immediately. Since the definition was published in March, it has been used by activists and Labour MPs to silence legitimate criticism of Islam. When the Shadow Justice Secretary, Nick Timothy, criticised a mass Muslim public prayer event in Trafalgar Square, he was branded an Islamophobe, reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and even faced calls to resign from the then Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. The Labour Government did not consult Parliament about its plans to revive Britain's blasphemy laws for Islam alone. At the start of the year, the Free Speech Union exposed that all five members of the Working Group tasked by Angela Rayner to draft the Islamophobia definition had troubling links to Islamist organisations. These include the Muslim Council of Britain and MEND, both of which are subject to a government policy of non-engagement over concerns about extremism. What is even more concerning is that it is almost certain extremists were able to influence the drafting of the definition. If that is not alarming enough, Nick Timothy's Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that the Communities Department deleted all the responses to the Working Group's consultation on the Islamophobia definition. If there is nothing to hide, why did the department delete all the responses — a move that appears to breach its own policy on data retention? There are serious questions for Angela Rayner and her department to answer. Why did they delete all these responses? Did ministers direct officials to dispose of the submissions? Did extremist groups really have the chance to influence the definition, while the Free Speech Union and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) did not? The public deserves to know the truth. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw👇
The Free Speech Union82,445 views • 26 days ago
Andy Burnham is attempting to emulate George Orwell. 1984 meets 2026 with the establishment of the ‘National Centre for Information Defence’ — aka the ‘Ministry of Truth’. Burnham has painted this new quango as a much-needed tool to combat the flood of disinformation allegedly being spread online by Russia to sow social divisions, influence elections and push people towards the extreme political right. But politicians have been saying this for years while demanding ever-greater censorship powers. FSU Policy and Research Director David Rose has delved deep into the academic evidence — and found it sorely lacking. The reach and threat of disinformation have been wildly exaggerated for years, with the ultimate aim of imposing greater censorship and restricting dissent. The Government is indeed spreading misinformation about misinformation. Read David Rose’s new FSU briefing below 👇
The Free Speech Union12,795 views • 3 days ago