GB: No Freedom of Speech Anymore

Here is the results of a search on Google about this topic...with sources.

Police-recorded arrests for “speech offenses” in the UK have risen sharply over the past decade, particularly for online communications. Recent analyses suggest that arrests are now running at more than 30 per day, or around 12,000–13,000 per year in England and Wales, several times higher than in the mid‑2010s.[1][2][7]

## Scale and trend

Freedom of information data reported in UK media indicate that arrests for speech‑related offenses (such as “grossly offensive” or “menacing” communications and some hate‑speech offenses) rose from roughly 5,500 in 2017 to nearly 12,500 by 2022, with 2024 figures reported at over 13,000. Commentaries summarizing police records say this represents roughly a fourfold increase compared with about 2016 levels and now averages over 30 arrests per day.[2][7][1]

## Legal basis and online focus

Most of these arrests fall under laws that predate social media but are now applied heavily to online content, including provisions against “grossly offensive” or “indecent, obscene or menacing” messages on public networks and various hate‑speech and public order offenses. Human‑rights monitors have linked the rise in arrests to broader moves such as the UK’s Online Safety Act and expanded police practice of recording “non‑crime hate incidents,” which can be logged even when no criminal charge is brought.[5][6][7][1][2]

## Controversies and criticism

Civil‑liberties groups, some foreign governments, and media commentators argue that the current approach produces a chilling effect on free expression, pointing to cases involving social‑media posts, private chat groups, or even silent prayer near abortion clinics. Recent international assessments of UK internet freedom explicitly note a deterioration tied to the increase in criminal charges for online speech and the expanding scope of what is treated as a speech‑related offense.[6][7][5]

[1](https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2025/09/09/people-are-being-thrown-in-uk-prisons-over-what-theyve-said-online-can-free-speech-be-saved/)
[2](https://eternallyradicalidea.com/p/yes-the-uk-really-is-that-bad-for)
[3](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62ln7mzd5ro)
[4](https://www.reddit.com/r/charts/comments/1mut3gv/12k_arrests_last_year_in_the_uk_for/)
[5](https://nypost.com/2025/08/19/world-news/uk-free-speech-struggle-30-arrests-a-day-censorship/)
[6](https://freedomhouse.org/country/united-kingdom/freedom-net/2025)
[7](https://www.city-journal.org/article/free-speech-uk-keir-starmer-unite-kingdom-rally)
[8](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/world/europe/graham-linehan-free-speech-uk.html)
[9](https://www.reddit.com/r/reformuk/comments/1p1gtrq/the_uk_arrests_citizens_158x_more_than_china_for/)
 
Paco Dennis said:
Here is the results of a search on Google about this topic...with sources.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pulling the numbers together, they actually reinforce what I was saying. When you’re looking at 12,000 to 13,000 arrests a year for speech related offenses, it’s difficult to dismiss that as "tabloid exaggeration." The scale is real, the trend is real, and the civil liberties concerns are real. That’s why context matters and why some of us aren’t willing to shrug it off. So thank you again for staying on topic and posting the information above.
 
Antoli said:
Strange how clarity becomes "boring" the moment it challenges you.
Click to expand...
Nothing’s being challenged -- I just didn’t find the direction particularly engaging. It felt less about the topic and more about shutting things down, which isn’t especially productive. May the echo chamber continue.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Here is the results of a search on Google about this topic...with sources.

Police-recorded arrests for “speech offenses” in the UK have risen sharply over the past decade, particularly for online communications. Recent analyses suggest that arrests are now running at more than 30 per day, or around 12,000–13,000 per year in England and Wales, several times higher than in the mid‑2010s.[1][2][7]

## Scale and trend

Freedom of information data reported in UK media indicate that arrests for speech‑related offenses (such as “grossly offensive” or “menacing” communications and some hate‑speech offenses) rose from roughly 5,500 in 2017 to nearly 12,500 by 2022, with 2024 figures reported at over 13,000. Commentaries summarizing police records say this represents roughly a fourfold increase compared with about 2016 levels and now averages over 30 arrests per day.[2][7][1]

## Legal basis and online focus

Most of these arrests fall under laws that predate social media but are now applied heavily to online content, including provisions against “grossly offensive” or “indecent, obscene or menacing” messages on public networks and various hate‑speech and public order offenses. Human‑rights monitors have linked the rise in arrests to broader moves such as the UK’s Online Safety Act and expanded police practice of recording “non‑crime hate incidents,” which can be logged even when no criminal charge is brought.[5][6][7][1][2]

## Controversies and criticism

Civil‑liberties groups, some foreign governments, and media commentators argue that the current approach produces a chilling effect on free expression, pointing to cases involving social‑media posts, private chat groups, or even silent prayer near abortion clinics. Recent international assessments of UK internet freedom explicitly note a deterioration tied to the increase in criminal charges for online speech and the expanding scope of what is treated as a speech‑related offense.[6][7][5]

[1](https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2025/09/09/people-are-being-thrown-in-uk-prisons-over-what-theyve-said-online-can-free-speech-be-saved/)
[2](https://eternallyradicalidea.com/p/yes-the-uk-really-is-that-bad-for)
[3](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62ln7mzd5ro)
[4](https://www.reddit.com/r/charts/comments/1mut3gv/12k_arrests_last_year_in_the_uk_for/)
[5](https://nypost.com/2025/08/19/world-news/uk-free-speech-struggle-30-arrests-a-day-censorship/)
[6](https://freedomhouse.org/country/united-kingdom/freedom-net/2025)
[7](https://www.city-journal.org/article/free-speech-uk-keir-starmer-unite-kingdom-rally)
[8](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/world/europe/graham-linehan-free-speech-uk.html)
[9](https://www.reddit.com/r/reformuk/comments/1p1gtrq/the_uk_arrests_citizens_158x_more_than_china_for/)
Click to expand...
That's nuts. I guess they're trying to prevent minorities from being attacked and other hate crimes.
 
Antoli said:
Thanks for pulling the numbers together, they actually reinforce what I was saying. When you’re looking at 12,000 to 13,000 arrests a year for speech related offenses, it’s difficult to dismiss that as "tabloid exaggeration." The scale is real, the trend is real, and the civil liberties concerns are real. That’s why context matters and why some of us aren’t willing to shrug it off. So thank you again for staying on topic and posting the information above.
Click to expand...
Context does matter therefore 12,000 to 13,000 related to speech offenses is ambiguois. What did the 13,000 say, each one. How did it violate the law? Without all the facts, , FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL CASE, you have no basis of assuming that civil liberties have been abused.
Do the usual now and defer to some deficit in my thinking. 13,000 related cases does not equate to violations, convictions or penalties. Simple means there were 13k offenses registered.
You have to ways to go with this. Ignore me or produce the facts for all 13,000 cases that will justify what you are saying.
 

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