In Depth:  freedom of speech

Nicola Laver

The Free Speech Union (FSU) has dealt with more than 100 cases involving Christian free speech since its 2020 launch, and the number is rising. Sam Armstrong, an evangelical Christian, is the FSU’s legislative affairs director.

He says its membership more than doubled to about 35,000 since the 2024 election, followed by further uptick after Charlie Kirk’s death. en spoke to Sam about the erosion of free speech in the UK and challenges for Christians today.

Nicola Laver

The right to freedom of expression includes the right to offend, a judge has stressed. Mr Justice Bennathan's comments were made when he overturned the conviction of a man who burned a Qur’an outside the Turkish consulate in London.

Hamit Coskun appealed after being convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence after setting fire to the book and shouting in protest at Islam. A knife-wielding Muslim man who attacked Coskun during his protest was convicted of assault and possession of a knife. The judge said: “Burning a Qur’an may be an act that many Muslims find desperately upsetting and offensive. The criminal law, however, is not a mechanism that seeks to avoid people being upset.

en staff

A Muslim member of the House of Lords is urging the government to adopt a new definition of “Islamophobia” after a working group submitted its proposals.

Islamic website hyphenonline.com, which says it is the “leading media platform on Muslim life in the UK and Europe”, reports that the plea comes from Baroness Shaista Gohir, who leads the Muslim Women’s Network UK.

Nicola Laver

Persecution of Christians in the UK for preaching the gospel has grown in last 15 years and is “graver”, says Sam Armstrong from the Free Speech Union (FSU).

Armstrong, an evangelical Christian and a political consultant with the non-sectarian organisation, says the FSU has dealt with more than 100 cases involving Christian free-speech issues since its inception in 2020.

Lydia Houghton

Street evangelism will be hindered, it is feared, after Birmingham City Council imposed a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).

The order prohibits the use of amplification equipment, musical instruments, or “other items used as musical instruments” within the stated “restricted area” – a designated part of Birmingham city centre highlighted by the local authority in the order.

en staff

Christian teachers in the UK say the assassination of Charlie Kirk in the United States has powerful lessons for this country.

In a blog on its website, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) says: “The shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk, a high-profile advocate for open dialogue, has once again brought the issue of free speech into sharp focus. While his work was centred in the United States, his assassination is a chilling reminder to all of us – especially in the West – that words and ideas are increasingly treated as dangerous in themselves – and that the cost of defending them can be devastating.

Nicola Laver

An in-depth report on abortion buffer zones says there are serious issues around freedom of belief, religion and speech.

The report also concludes that “a pro-abortion worldview has in effect been legally prioritised and protected from any form of criticism” and calls for the government to introduce a Freedom of Religion Act.

Nicola Laver

Theology lecturer Dr Aaron Edwards, who was dismissed from Cliff College, Derbyshire after tweeting his Christian views on sexuality, is to appeal a ruling refusing his unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination claims.

An employment tribunal found the college had been ‘reasonable’ and ‘justified’ in its actions and that Edwards’ rights to freedom of religion had not been engaged. Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Edwards, said the judge ‘has simply not engaged with the substance of this case. Aaron was sacked because he challenged the church to uphold God’s teaching on human sexuality.’

Nicola Laver

A full ‘trans-inclusive’ conversion therapy ban is looking imminent – and church leaders are warning the Prime Minister of the threat to mainstream Christian practices, with peers likewise voicing concerns.

In the Lords, several peers expressed disquiet. The Earl of Leicester warned that ‘scaring into silence’ professionals looking after children could lead to unintended consequences for children and young people. The government has said a ban must not cover ‘legitimate psychological support, treatment or non-directive counselling’ and ‘respect the important role of teachers, religious leaders and parents’ – but details are lacking.

Nicola Laver

Maths teacher Joshua Sutcliffe has lost his appeal against a ruling banning him indefinitely from teaching.

Sutcliffe was dismissed after deliberately failing to use a pupil’s preferred pronouns in the classroom and on TV. He had also shared with pupils his views about gay marriage and homosexuality.

Nicola Laver

Moves to ban Islamic prayers in a school have potential ‘Orwellian consequences’, a representative of Christian teachers says.

Lizzie Harewood, executive officer at the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT), was expressing her thoughts after Katharine Birbalsingh, high-profile head of Michaela Community School in Brent and self-styled ‘Britain’s strictest headmistress’, introduced a ban on Muslim prayers during lunchbreaks.

Nicola Laver

A leading lawyer has warned of the threat from ‘woke warriors’, corporations and the government to freedom of speech in the UK

In an article on freedom of speech and constraints, published by the Jubilee Centre, Paul Diamond said: ‘Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights or attributes of our common humanity: but clearly there must be limitations on what can be said: the great debate is where boundaries are on these constraints.’

Nicola Laver

It has emerged that senior Labour Party members have instructed Labour council leaders to adopt a wide-ranging definition of Islamophobia – a definition likened to an ‘Islamic blasphemy code’. Christian Concern has claimed that if Labour takes power, discussion and criticism of Islam would be prohibited across the UK.

The July 2021 letter reveals Labour’s determination to implement recommendations set out in a report from the Labour Muslim Network. This included the adoption, by all Labour councils, of the definition of Islamophobia proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims.

Nicola Laver

A street preacher has been awarded £5,500 in compensation from Police Scotland after he was unlawfully arrested for an alleged ‘hate’ incident in January 2022.

Angus Cameron was arrested in Buchanan Street, Glasgow for an alleged breach of the peace ‘with homophobic aggravation’, handcuffed and held in a police van for over an hour. He commented: ‘I still don’t know what I was supposed to have said.’

Nicola Laver

A councillor who was suspended by the Tory party and ‘cancelled’ by other organisations on the basis of one tweet is to take legal action.

King Lawal, a North Northamptonshire councillor and businessman, tweeted: ‘Pride is not a virtue but a sin’. He was promptly suspended for 21 days and is reportedly being investigated by Conservative headquarters. Afterwards, he said: ‘What I said was Biblically sound and a protected expression of the Christian faith’.

Nicola Laver

A member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) has continued to speak out despite having been reprimanded by the Scottish National Party for social media comments about abortion.

John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston and a Christian, posted on Twitter earlier this year after observing a protest at an abortion provider and speaking with activists who held signs saying some women regret abortions.

Nicola Laver

The evangelical chaplain at the centre of a landmark employment tribunal has told en that if he loses it will be ‘open season’ for schools to cancel orthodox Christian beliefs.

The Revd Dr Bernard Randall was chaplain at Trent College near Nottingham when he gave a sermon in 2019 defending pupils’ rights to question the school’s introduction of LGBT policies. It also expressed the Church of England’s official, orthodox teaching on sexuality to students. The school subsequently reported him to the government ‘terrorist’ watchdog Prevent – which refused to investigate.

Nicola Laver

A lay magistrate with 15 years’ experience has lost his appeal after being removed from the bench for speaking to the media about his Christian views on parenting. He did so despite explicit guidance that the judiciary should not communicate with the media.

Richard Page publicly made known his view that it was not in a child’s best interests to be adopted by anyone other than a mother and father, nor was it normal to be adopted by a single parent or same-sex couple.

Christian free-speech campaigners are hailing a victory after Cambridge University academics vetoed a proposed crackdown.

In a draft plan to alter its existing statement on freedom of speech, the university had said people must be ‘respectful’ of ‘differing opinions’ and ‘diverse identities’.

A civil law student at the National University of Ireland Galway has questioned the introduction of a university Community Promise which could impede freedom of speech.

The student, Simeon Burke, is concerned the university could apply the regulations more widely in students’ lives. It asks students to follow behaviours that are not specified, as rules may ‘change regularly’.