In Post-Free Speech Britain, Online Posters Face Arrest

• In the wake of anti-migration protests, police in the United Kingdom arrested protesters and rioters en masse

• Police also arrested people for posting online

• Tommy Robinson, a central leader to the anti-mass-migration movement, has been targeted by the British government

The story

London’s Police Commissioner recently threatened to jail and extradite foreigners — including Americans — for social media posts. While this gave US denizens a good laugh, it is no laughing matter to British people.

Unlike Americans, they have no Declaration of Independence to defend a tradition of liberty, nor a First Amendment to shield them from government overreach. Britain does not have speech protections as robust as America's, and its approach to upholding free expression has significantly deteriorated in recent years, with bipartisan approval.

Under Conservative Party leadership, a British woman was taken into custody for a “thought crime” — silently praying outside an abortion clinic. The arrest was so egregious that even the Biden administration released a statement condemning it.

Under the Labour Party — which took power in early July — free speech has rapidly eroded. The worst excesses of the UK’s free speech crackdown began after anti-migrant protests were sparked by the stabbing of three children by a second-generation Rwandan man. Police reacted quickly when protests nationwide turned violent, arresting over 1,000 individuals.

Many of those arrested were wreaking disorder, but some merely voiced concern online. One offender, who was smeared in the media as an “armchair rioter,” was sentenced to 20 months in jail after a court determined that his social media posts were a crime — in particular one asserting that immigrants "rape our kids and get priority."

In another instance, a woman speculated that the Rwandan attacker may have been a migrant, saying all hell would break loose “if this is true.” She was arrested for “stirring up racial hatred.”

British police have issued Brits a warning: “think before you post” — a message designed to chill free speech.

The politics

The newly enshrined Labour Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, vowed to go after protesters and rioters, promising “a number of actions.” He mentioned that a standing army of specially-trained police officers is prepared to be deployed in the event of further riots. It remains unclear if Starmer will press for new laws to further restrict speech.

Reform Party leader and newly sworn-in member of parliament, Nigel Farage, harshly critiqued Starmer for being “the biggest threat to free speech” the UK has seen in its history. After years of Conservatives and Labour working in tandem to control speech, Reform — which brands itself as populist — is one of the only groups defending free speech.

Farage specifically drew attention to Starmer’s support for the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots, and contrasted it with his reaction to “working class British” people expressing frustration about migration. Major left-wing figures are more tolerant of violent riots when they align with causes that they support — similar to recent history in the U.S.

Farage said people should be free to speculate online — even if the speculation turns out to be false — without fear of being arrested.

Free speech for thee, but not for he

Elites didn’t stop at making an exception for the BLM riots. Three weeks ago, migrant communities in Leeds rioted after child protective services removed a child from its family. Community members responded by overturning buses and destroying police cars.

In stark comparison to the all-hands-on-deck response after recent anti-migration riots, politicians and police were relatively mum regarding Leeds. Both UK political leaders and the UK media are deathly afraid of speaking out against disorder in migrant communities.

Tommy Robinson is one of few prominent figures who is not afraid to sound off against migration and the UK’s “two-tiered” police system, alleging that migrants receive far less police scrutiny than native, working-class Brits.

Robinson — the godfather of modern British populism — co-founded the English Defence League (EDL), known for its strong anti-migration stance, especially Muslim migration, and for resisting the growing influence of Islam in the UK.

Robinson has been involved in numerous protests and demonstrations and was arrested multiple times for exercising what is considered free speech in the United States. In 2017, Robinson gained international notoriety for his arrest for filming “Muslim pedophiles” outside a courthouse.

Just recently, he led a march of thousands in London to view a documentary that was banned due to a lawsuit filed by one of the film’s subjects — a Syrian refugee, who is suing Robinson for libel. The documentary is an exposé about how Robinson believes he has been censored or silenced, by politicians, the media, and tech platforms for his views on mass migration. Robinson defiantly posted, “I’ll be jailed for two years for showing the inconceivable truth.”

The crackdown on Tommy Robinson, and the failure of British elites to take sufficient police action against preferred groups, truly exposes the United Kingdom's — and indeed Europe’s — aversion to free speech.

Why it matters

The nation that produced 1984, the novel that brought the idea of thought crimes to life, has now enshrined that concept into law. Elites in the United Kingdom are committed to shutting down any dissent against mass migration, to the extent that they will jail their own citizens for Facebook posts.

As young Americans become increasingly unsupportive of free speech, it is not inconceivable that such crackdowns could make their way across the Atlantic.