I find myself writing VIP posts about the United Kingdom quite often. That's because I keep running across insane posts about what's going on there and what's changed since the last time I visited. I know the U.K. and Europe were butthurt when Vice President J.D. Vance gave a speech at the Munich Security Conference warning about the erosion of free speech, but he was right.
According to The Times, police in the U.K. are making more than 30 arrests a day over social media posts.
Exclusive: British police are making more than 30 arrests a day over offensive posts on social media and other platforms
— Charlie Parker (@charliehparker) April 4, 2025
Thousands of people are being detained and questioned for sending messages that cause “annoyance”, “inconvenience” or “anxiety”https://t.co/fFfBvIlFBX
The Times reports:
Thousands of people are being detained and questioned for sending messages that cause “annoyance”, “inconvenience” or “anxiety” to others via the internet, telephone or mail.
Custody data obtained by The Times shows that officers are making about 12,000 arrests a year under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.
…
The Times reported last week that Hertfordshire police sent six officers to detain a couple and put them in a cell for eight hours after their child’s primary school objected to the volume of emails they sent and “disparaging” comments made in a WhatsApp group.
Usually, when we do posts on the U.K. police arresting citizens over Facebook posts, it's because they criticize migrants and the unfettered importation of migrants from Muslim countries who have no intention of assimilating into the culture.
The most shocking free speech violations I've reported on have been the arrests of people who were caught praying silently near abortion clinics. No blocking the entrances, no bullhorns, no signs … just silently praying.
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While the U.S. has the FACE Act to arrest people protesting in front of abortion clinics — an act Joe Biden's FBI acted on quite often — the U.K. has something for abortion clinics called a Public Spaces Protection Order. These are restricted zones for free speech.
Robert Clark reports that a woman was arrested for daring to hold a sign saying, "Here to talk, if you want."
🧵This morning, a woman was convicted in Britain for holding a sign saying:
— Robert Clarke (@Rob_ADFIntl) April 4, 2025
“Here to talk, if you want.”
Let that sink in. Here's how it happened: 👇 pic.twitter.com/mc8jeNYnxx
The U.K. wants to make damned sure you get that abortion.
12/
— Robert Clarke (@Rob_ADFIntl) April 4, 2025
64-year-old grandmother.
No shouting.
No placard.
No slogans.
Just:
“Here to talk, if you want.”
Convicted.
Support her legal defence and other cases advancing the right to live and speak the truth 👉 https://t.co/rqx9RrJqKo
Clarke says the court made her pay £20,000. "That’s the cost of offering someone a chat in 2025 Britain."
Kamala Harris said during the campaign she was concerned about posts on X. Had she been elected, we could be back to Twitter 1.0.
The speech laws are indefensible, but even worse is the selective enforcement.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 5, 2025
London has had regular marches w open support for designated terror groups and local police do nothing, while instead tracking down random people who post stuff online that bothers the wrong person. https://t.co/k5Ri4R41Co
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