👋 from Canada. Question: what’s going on over there? I read a lot about online freedom of speech. Just looking for some feedback rather than what I see in the comments.

Posted by Im_from_the-future@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 10 comments

Asking out of curiosity, and because it’s come up in conversation with some people, I know here. In any case, hope all is good and that it’s a good summer.

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Critical_Bee1286@reddit

I don't know how Rogan's getting away with saying people are being thrown in jail for Facebook posts without giving any context, and making it look like they're being arrested for criticism of the government. I know someone who was given a custodial sentence for harassing his ex partner on there(Facebook) , that was under the Tories too.

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Kremm0@reddit

These days you can get thrown in jail just for saying you're English! These days!

(According to the brilliant Stewart Lee of course)

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TarcFalastur@reddit

Nothing is going on.

Freedom of speech works differently in the UK from the US. America views freedom of speech as a freedom to live your life without fear of arrest for saying what you are thinking. We see it more as a freedom to live your life without fear of harm because of others who don't like you.

In other words, you have absolute freedom of speech here, so long as that speech is not used to threaten other people or invite violence against them. Virtually every person who has been arrested for things they've said online has been arrested for promoting violence, making personal threats etc.

And despite what conservative american media claims, no, we have no laws whatsoever about criticising government figures here, so long as you don't violate the previously mentioned law. We criticise our leaders all the time. In fact, we're one of the most negative, pessimistic countries in the world when it comes to support for politicians and we openly display our anger at them on a regular basis with absolutely no fear of retribution. On the other hand, if you look at stats for the USA, far, far more people get arrested for things they post about their government officials than the equivalent number here.

What you need to remember is that the USA is basically a massive right wing media squawk box right now. The MAGA lobby are determined to use any trick they can find to say "Trump good, everyone else bad" and especially since Europe in particular has started becoming quite vocal about refusing to fall in line with Trump. So they are bombarding the media with all sorts of nonsense stories designed to fool gullible Americans into believing that the USA is the pinnacle of human society and that all other countries are corrupt, murderous hell holes. If they can make people believe that then those people will view Trump's insane rhetoric as necessary action to fight off the forces of evil rather than a nut job seeking to run an entire country like his personal estate.

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Fuzzy_Jaguar_1339@reddit

So, OP is not from the USA.

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CalumH91@reddit

Freedom of speech is fine in the UK, you can even post a news article on social media in the UK!

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Unusual_Mud_2029@reddit

Absolutely nothing. Any conversation you hear about attacks on our freedom of speech is just right-wing propaganda and people moaning because they got arrested for hate speech, inciting violence etc. Ironically, right-wingers are the more popular political side at the moment and get the most exposure in media etc, since most of our media is controlled by the right-wing. But somehow the “woke” establishment are arresting people for their political views to “shut them down”. Couldn’t be further from the truth.

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123Catskill@reddit

It’s a fair question. Here are the results of a quick Google search:

Global Expression Report
• Status: Downgraded to a "Less Restricted" country.
• Context: In this comprehensive freedom of expression index compiled by Article 19, the UK fell below the threshold score of 80/100, losing its status as an "Open" nation for the first time. The downgrade stems from restrictions on the right to protest, internet censorship, and declines in academic independence.
• The Critic Magazine
+1
RSF World Press Freedom Index
• Rank: 18th out of 180 countries.
• Score: 79.45 / 100.
• Context: Published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the UK sits in the "satisfactory" category. While its numerical rank rose slightly because of a global collapse in media freedom, RSF notes steep declines in the UK’s legal environment (ranking 36th) and social context (ranking 37th). Key issues include police surveillance of journalists, the use of counter-terrorism laws at borders, and a stall in protections against abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs) targeting publishers.
• RSF.ORG
+3
The Index Index (Index on Censorship)
• Status: Third Tier ("Partially Open").
• Context: The Index on Censorshipplaces the UK in its third tier, behind nations like Australia, Costa Rica, and Germany. The country was flagged as only "partially open" across digital, academic, and media freedom metrics.
• The Guardian
+1

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