Defund the thoughtpolice

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And then there are the armies of police officers who spend their days trawling through social-media accounts in the hope of locating a non-crime hate incident. This is the practice whereby officers record speech or incidents that, while not criminal, are perceived as hateful. The Free Speech Union estimates that up to 65 of these are secretly recorded every day, against people who have not committed any crime or harmed anybody.

Hugo Timms, Spiked, 15th June 2025.

We have to prevent Prevent from undermining freedom

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Certainly, the Free Speech Union (FSU) knows of plenty of people referred to Prevent when lawful but controversial views were misread as signs of extremism: a Christian teacher who stated that marriage is between a man and a woman; a schoolboy who declared in a YouTube video that “there’s no such thing as non-binary”; a 24-year-old autistic man whose social worker reported that he’d been viewing “offensive and anti-trans” websites and “focusing on lots of right-wing darker comedy”.

Freddie Attenborough, The Critic, 10th June 2025.

Go to anti-misogyny lessons? Succession star Brian Cox channels his inner Logan Roy as he says he is ‘f****** sick’ of woke sensitivity training

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However, following a complaint from the Free Speech Union that the policy treated ‘members of one racial group less favourably’, the theatre ordered a review.

Lara Olszowska, MailOnline, 8th June 2025.

BOATS FEAR ‘TERROR STANCE’ Fury as fear of mass migration branded ‘terrorist ideology’ in official govt training papers

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The news has sparked fury with free speech activists, including Toby Young, head of the Free Speech Union.

In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, he writes: “Now that ‘cultural nationalism’ has been classified as a subcategory of extreme right-wing terrorist ideology, even mainstream, right-of-centre beliefs risk being treated as ideologically suspect, despite falling well within the bounds of lawful expression.”

Kate Ferguson, The Sun, 7th June 2025.

Prevent deems concerns over migration ‘terrorist ideology’

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Lord Young of Acton, the general-secretary of the Free Speech Union, has written to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, urging her to reconsider the classification, arguing it was a “matter of serious concern” for free speech.

In a letter to Cooper, Lord Young said: “While not defined in law, nor subject to statutory constraint, the definition in the training course expands the scope of suspicion to include individuals whose views are entirely lawful but politically controversial. Now that ‘cultural nationalism’ has been classified as a subcategory of extreme right-wing terrorist ideology, even mainstream, right-of-centre beliefs risk being treated as ideologically suspect, despite falling well within the bounds of lawful expression.”

Charlie Moloney, The Times, 6th June 2025.

Government’s anti-radicalisation programme says being worried about mass migration is ‘terrorist ideology’

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Lord Young, the general secretary of the Free Speech Union (FSU) said: ‘The definition in the training course expands the scope of suspicion to include individuals whose views are entirely lawful but politically controversial.

‘Now that ‘cultural nationalism’ has been classified as a subcategory of extreme Right-wing terrorist ideology, even mainstream, Right-of-centre beliefs risk being treated as ideologically suspect, despite falling well within the bounds of lawful expression.’

Noor Qurashi, MailOnline, 6th June 2025.

England now has a blasphemy law

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Despite the generous and committed support of the National Secular Society and the Free Speech Union, Hamit Coskun has been found guilty. This must not stand. Laws should not be created by the CPS and the judiciary defying the explicit will of parliament. It was the work of centuries to build a society in which men and women could speak freely, and not live in fear of criminal punishment if they offended other people’s religious beliefs. We must guard that society with fierce purpose and utterly oppose those who would threaten it.

David Shipley, The Spectator, 2nd June 2025.

Man who burnt Quran says conviction is an assault on free speech

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In a statement issued through the Free Speech Union (FSU), Coskun said: “This decision is an assault on free speech and will deter others from exercising their democratic rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.

Ben Ellery, The Times, 2nd June 2025.

Man, 50, who set fire to the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London says he never would have come to Britain if he ‘knew this country does not have free speech’

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The Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society have paid for Mr Coskun’s legal fees and his private security.

Abul Taher and Ian Gallagher, Daily Mail, 1st June 2025.

Racism re-education has shaky foundations

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The FSU simply pointed out that colour, nationality and ethnic origin are protected characteristics, so only making white employees attend is in breach of the Equality Act. The theatre’s leadership gulped, hastily ordered a review and promised not to censure anybody for opting out. It adds defensively that anti-oppression training is increasingly provided in UK organisations, and indeed it is, from universities, publishers and quangos to commerce and the ever-anxious BBC. We’ll come to that.

Libby Purves, The Times, 1st June 2025.