State Department Accuses UK of Free Speech Violations

The Trump administration is accusing the United Kingdom of a number of human rights abuses in a negative human rights “report card” for the birthplace of the Magna Carta and the modern parliamentary system.

In its annual “Human Rights Report” for 2024 released on Monday, the U.S. State Department lists “specific areas of concern” in the U.K.

“The human rights situation worsened in the United Kingdom during the year,” the report begins. “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.”

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously rejected the Trump administration’s allegations of infringements on free speech, telling a reporter from The Daily Signal in February, “We’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom, and it will last for a very, very long time … I’m very proud of our history there.”

The alleged free speech violations include “restrictions on political speech deemed ‘hateful’ or ‘offensive’ as well as speech within ‘Public Spaces Protections Orders’ areas (allowing local councils to limit speech rights within designated areas) and ‘Safe Access Zones’ (limiting speech rights around abortion clinics).”

TRENDING ARTICLES

OPINION

Iran Is Losing This War, and the Global Balance of Power Is Shifting

Victor Davis Hanson

OPINION

The Iran War: Collapse, Chaos, and What Comes Next

Victor Davis Hanson

OPINION

From Carson to Clowns: How Trump Derangement Syndrome Destroyed Late Night

Victor Davis Hanson

“In July, a man was jailed and handed an eight-week sentence for posting a meme suggesting a link between migrants and knife crime,” reads the report’s section on censorship. “In October, an individual was convicted in England for engaging in silent prayer in violation of a ‘safe zone.’”

The report also lists startling figures that indicate an increase in antisemitic attacks.

“Reports of antisemitic incidents in the U.K. in the first half of the year reached a record high of 1,978 anti-Jewish hate incidents, an increase from 964 for the same period in 2023,” it reads. “From January to June, there were 121 reported incidents of assault, and cases of damage and desecration of Jewish property rose by 246% from 24 cases in 2023.”

In response to the report, a U.K. government spokesperson said, “Free speech is vital for democracy around the world, including here in the U.K., and we are proud to uphold freedoms whilst keeping our citizens safe.”

There are positive marks in the report, such as a lack of “extrajudicial killings” where the government or its agents commit arbitrary or unlawful killings, and there was no ”coercion in population control” (involuntary sterilizations by the government). The report also gives positive marks in the areas of child labor, torture, and worker rights.