Lawyer warns over freedom of speech

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.’

Diamond, a barrister specialising in religious liberty, said: ‘Everybody knows that free speech is not widely respected today’ – but warned that ‘without free speech, there is no free society, there is poor intellectual development, often poor economic performance, and an assault on our humanity’.

He added: ‘Free speech means the right to say things that others may find unpleasant and offensive: a right to say only inoffensive things is worthless. But part of that picture is that nasty people will have free speech rights too.’

Diamond highlights several developments, including changes in attitude to free speech. He believes those who claim to speak for ‘justice’ and not tyranny are among those who threaten free speech.

‘These woke warriors appeal to our kindness: the values we endorse such as respect, freedom from racial hatred and freedom from prejudice,’ he comments. ‘There can, they argue, be no equality in society if people are permitted to express bad ideas.’

Corporations’ and government’s growing control of speech also threatens freedom of speech, along with the chilling effects of increased regulation.

‘If we want free speech, we have to mean it,’ writes Diamond. For instance, he adds: ‘Religious speech may be the very type of speech that we don’t want to hear because it is offensive, but it is for this reason that it must be respected and protected … However, the principle of freedom of speech should not legitimate death threats, or threats of violence, or seizing the public space, or intimidating a respected community.’