Online Safety Bill is a Fundamental Threat to Free Speech & Must Be Opposed | The New Culture Forum

WHITTLE: It is extraordinary that we're even talking about how we might protect something which we took for granted for generations.

Online Safety Bill is a Fundamental Threat to Free Speech & Must Be Opposed | New Culture Forum

“Free speech is at the absolute basis of a democratic liberal society and should be enshrined in the legal system.”

Peter Whittle is joined by barrister and legal commentator Francis Hoar, author of “In Protection of Freedom of Speech“, a report commissioned by Laurence Fox's “Reclaim Party” and which includes a foreword by former Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption. 

“Without the expression of ideas nothing would happen. Civilisation itself is based on the expression of ideas.”

Francis Hoar

According to Mr. Hoar, a right to freedom of expression should be enshrined in UK law to counter the rising tide of “cancel culture” and other forms of woke-inspired censorship and discrimination. His report comes as the government propose an ‘Online Safety Bill' which would require social media companies to censor ‘harmful' speech that might offend adults, even if no criminal offence was committed.

“Don't forget that every tyrannical regime in history has always promoted itself as promoting the ‘greater good'.”

Francis Hoar

In his report Mr. Hoar proposes three key reforms designed to give UK citizens the same protection as the First Amendment to the US Constitution:

1. The police should lose the power to investigate so-called “non-crime hate incidents” and the Scottish Hate Crime Bill should be scrapped.

2. Websites should be prevented from censoring content posted by users unless a criminal offence or civil wrong is committed.

3. Employers should no longer be able to sack people for their speech.

The report may be downloaded here: https://reclaimparty.co.uk/wp-content…

Source: Online Safety Bill is a Fundamental Threat to Free Speech & Must Be Opposed.

Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-what-youre-saying-is/id1454511530?i=1000535192070