Are we free to speak in Britain?
I always thought that free speech has always been part of what it actually means to be British. I know we pride ourselves on being a nation of debaters, from lively pub arguments to fiery BBC Question Time panels, we love a good exchange of ideas. But lately, it seems more of us are asking whether it is safe to express our views.
Legally it is safe, yes. The UK protects free expression under the Human Rights Act, which guarantees our right to hold opinions and share them. But there’s a huge catch; that same law allows limits “in the interests of public safety, national security, or the protection of others.” So, while we can speak freely, we can’t incite hatred, threaten violence, or harass others. And I’m sure that most of us would agree that’s fair.
The trickier part isn’t the law, it’s the culture. Social media has turned public conversation into a minefield. Say the wrong thing, and you might face a wave of online backlash, lose your job, or get “cancelled.” Some see this as censorship, others see it as accountability. After all, freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from criticism.
Still, it’s hard to ignore how cautious people have become. Many of us now think twice before sharing an honest opinion, worried about how it might be taken or twisted. That’s not exactly the mark of a confident democracy.
So, are we free to speak? On paper, absolutely. In practice, it’s complicated. Britain’s challenge now isn’t just defending the right to speak — it’s protecting the spirit of open conversation, where disagreement doesn’t make you the enemy.
Because real freedom of speech isn’t just about being allowed to talk; it’s about it being ok to listen as well. I’m not sure we have got this right.
Are we free to speak in Russia?
In Russia, yes we were, in the late 1980s to the early 2000s. That was the time when freedom of speech, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev and supported by Boris Yeltsin, was flourishing. At some point, I thought, it would have lasted forever. I thought, freedom of speech – and other freedoms – were natural values.
Well, as a person born in the Soviet Union, I should have been smarter.
It was Vladimir Putin who quickly killed freedom of speech. First, he took over TV as the main communication channel to keep things under control. By 2003, he effectively controlled TV content, appointing loyal management whose only task was to broadcast what the Kremlin says.
Then, the next turn was printed media and radio broadcasting. After that, only online media and the only one federal radio station, Echo of Moscow, have continued to be islands of freedom of speech. In February 2022, the radio station was shut down, and those who wanted to continue to speak free as journalists, without being jailed, started to leave Russia.
Now, there is no a single media inside Russia that is opposing Vladimir Putin. Some call it dictatorship. I think every dictatorship has a fundamental weakness in its structure because they can only rule when freedom of speech is oppressed.
Freedom of speech is something that is not given from the skies. It is a hard-fought value that must be protected. People of Russia didn’t value it and most of them barely even noticed when it was taken away.
I hope, in the post-Putin era, my compatriots would value freedom of speech much more than today’s generation.
Are we free to speak in America?
Americans tend to be loud but we don’t realize it. We laugh too loud, talk too loud, everything is too loud, except we don’t know it because it’s normal for us. Trying to get this bunch of loud heathens to only speak of Orange Jesus in hushed, reverent tones will be a challenge.
Of course, Trump’s MEGA people are trying their best but as of this writing, not one single late night talk show host is actually off the air. The average person in the US is getting louder and more obnoxious, not less. There’s little doubt Trump would love to end free speech in America. Major corporations, law enforcement, even the military rolls over and corroborates with fascists while the common person takes to the streets. It’s getting louder.
There’s more than a little irony here; the exact same people who are wanting to end free speech in America were defending it just a couple of years ago. The Governor of the US State of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is an example: He ran as a staunch defender of free speech and now that he has power, wants to silence any speech he deems inappropriate. Elon Musk is another free speech absolutist (his words) who only wants his speech to be free.
In the interest of fairness, many liberals use, and use is the right word, politically correct speech to shame and shut-down opinions they don’t like. Barack Obama warned these people they were making poor choices and it would come back to bite them. It absolutely has. We now have MAGA’s “just speaking the truth” as they spout blatantly racists ideas. I thought this garbage was left on the ash-heap of history. I was wrong.
Back to the question – are we free to speak in America? It actually depends on who you are. A well-known celebrity? No, you will be attacked for expressing even mild opinions. An immigrant or student from another country? It’s much worse; you’ll be deported or, if you have said something about Israel, locked-up in El Salvador for life without trial. The average citizen has little to worry about right now. There are simply too many citizens and the hate for Trump is too real. Don’t worry, the MAGAs will work their way around to you in time.