1 hour ago, mikeymike100 said:

Good point, of course the USA has a written constitution, unlike the UK, and the !st amendment guarantees free speech amongst other things.

Unless of course you "offend" the extremely thin skinned Trump who will bring the DoJ on to you. however if you are a government employee, in which case you will be sacked, no matter what your rank or position is.

2 hours ago, blaze master said:

 

Absurd. How many people in the USA have been put in jail for speech ?

Not so many but ... is the point how many jailed or if any are put in jail for free speech?

29 minutes ago, SABloke said:

There was recently a story in the UK about the police asking a shopkeeper to remove a sign that called shoplifters "scumbags" because it might be offensive. Agree or disagree with Trump, nobody can deny that the US has actual free speech - the UK has compelled speech (you can say what you want as long as it is not "offensive")

 

The shopkeeper refused to remove the sign I believe.

4 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

The shopkeeper refused to remove the sign I believe.

 

I wonder if he will be investigated for a non-crime hate incident.

 

His record could be marked by the gestapo for WrongThink. I hope they didn't find any Brexitty books while they were visiting him or he might have some explaining to do. 

4 hours ago, blaze master said:

 

This is not fact but your personal opinion.

Trump's personal desire is to be a dictator. That is a fact.

3 hours ago, JAG said:

So perhaps he should leave the idyllic Cotswolds and bugger off back to the land of the free - taking his Secret Service, excessive motorcade and obtrusive security blanket with him, thus restoring the inhabitants basic liberties.

 After buying a rod license.🤔

5 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 After buying a rod license.🤔

I believe that David Lammy (that well known angling aficionado) treated him to a licence - after someone pointed out that neither of them had one! 

 

Mind you, I am sure that the British taxpayers paid for It!

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Reacting swiftly, a UK spokesperson defended the nation’s stance, stating that free speech is integral to democracy and assuring citizens that their freedoms remain safeguarded.

 

Repeating a lie over and over again does not magically make it the truth.  The simple fact is that if Lucy Connolly (and others) had expressed the exact same sentiments in the exact same way in America they would not have been charged with any kind of offense or imprisoned for speech crimes as America has freedom of speech, whilst the UK categorically does not. 

28 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

The shopkeeper refused to remove the sign I believe.

Yes, he even put up more afterwards - good for him. His sign wasn't illegal, so they couldn't force him to remove it - just "request". However, the fact that the police used their time to go talk to him speaks volumes of the way things happen in the UK.

41 minutes ago, James105 said:

The simple fact is that if Lucy Connolly (and others) had expressed the exact same sentiments in the exact same way in America they would not have been charged with any kind of offense or imprisoned for speech crimes as America has freedom of speech, whilst the UK categorically does not.

 

Freedom of speech is exactly that. Once you commit that speech to the written word that is different. I suspect the Lucy thing may have been construed as incitement to violence after Southport. 

10 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Freedom of speech is exactly that. Once you commit that speech to the written word that is different. I suspect the Lucy thing may have been construed as incitement to violence after Southport. 

 

Are you seriously suggesting that if Lucy Connolly was American, she said the exact same things on social media in America that she would have been arrested, charged and imprisoned for 28 months?  

 

Ridiculous.   The UK does not have free speech, hence the reason she is in jail.   No-one in America would ever be arrested for what she did.   UK is more aligned with Russia/China on (lack of) free speech than America.  Only UK politicians pretend otherwise.   

This insidious erosion of liberties is a purposed mechanism that was put into place over 30 Years ago - all across Europe and the UK.

 

I personally felt a paradigm shift then, and left for good.

 

Since then, I've seen.

 

Usurious policy affecting moral dilema and quandary to the socially engineered - capitalising on sensationalism and apathy.

 

Manufactured hegemony to the point of acquiescence, and liberties falling in favour of ostensible protection and comfort.

 

Indoctrinated chaff lining up to be a completely digitised commodity

 

Binary control - reduction of the human psyche to an algorithm - the new something of worth, something to be leveraged - because everything else has been rinsed.

 

I'll state an obvious caveat - this is a  subjective view.

Unlike the greatest grifter Mr. Trump and his maga fascist cult followers, I have made it a point of ethics on this forum to own up to my own errors when I do make them.

Although the timing was indeed suspicious, I will now freely acknowledge that using the cancellation of the Colbert show as an example of the Trump regime's suppression of free speech was a mistake. 

Moving on from that, the general points I made in that post still hold and that example is not needed.

The Trump regime's suppression of free speech.

 

EXAMPLES:

Quote

 

Actions by Trump Administration Against Free Speech

Targeting Proteste
rs and Activists

Arrests of Activists: Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist, was arrested by immigration agents. His detention is seen as a tactic to suppress dissent against U.S. policies regarding Palestine.

Threats to Protesters: The administration has threatened to revoke visas of individuals supporting groups like Hamas, framing it as a national security issue rather than a free speech concern.

Press and Media Restrictions

Banning News Outlets: The Trump administration has restricted certain news organizations from covering White House events, limiting press access and freedom.

Sanctioning Law Firms: Executive orders targeted law firms that represented Trump’s political opponents, chilling legal advocacy and free speech.

Legislative and Policy Changes

Federal Funding Cuts: The administration has pulled federal grants from institutions that oppose its views, particularly those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which has led to a freeze on funding for various projects.

Censorship of Educational Content: Federal funding has been threatened for educational programs that include language deemed objectionable by the administration, impacting academic freedom.

Intimidation of Critics

Investigations of Dissenters: Trump has suggested investigations into Democratic lawmakers who criticize his policies, creating a climate of fear around political dissent.

Impeachment Calls Against Judges: The president has called for the impeachment of federal judges who rule against his administration, undermining judicial independence and free speech rights.

These actions illustrate a broader pattern of suppressing free speech and dissent during Trump's presidency, raising concerns among advocates for First Amendment rights.

 

 

Trump campaigned as a protector of free speech but critics say his actions threaten it | PBS News

www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-campaigned-as-a-protector-of-free-speech-but-critics-say-his-actions-threaten-it

 

Trump’s assault on the First Amendment | International Bar Association

www.ibanet.org/Trumps-assault-on-the-First-Amendment

3 hours ago, philipsharpe said:

The show was losing millions of dollars per year.

 

I have looked into that and it appears that is true.

I have acknowledged that Colbert was a bad example.

However, it can't be known if finance was the ONLY reason for the cancellation. That remains doubtful. 

Another important part of the fascist Trump regime's attack on free speech is the literal BANNING of many words on any government document, website, etc.

This is truly horrendous!

It seeks to ERASE the acknowledgement of the existence of groups of American citizens with a particular obsession with persecuting transgender people.

It's gotten to the point of absurdity.

The Trump regime banned the picture of the airplane used in the WW2 nuclear bombings because the name of the plane was shown. The Enola GAY.

 

Again the authoritarian extremist Trump regime has no business whatsoever lecturing any other country on matters of free speech!

 

Trump follows through on plan to punish free speech | Opinion

www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2025/03/23/trump-punish-free-speech-project-2025-authoritarian/82554118007/

 

3 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Trump's personal desire is to be a dictator. That is a fact.

No doubt about that whatsoever.

He sees himself as a dictator and his Project 2025 fueled regime is working very hard and very swiftly to fully accomplish that as reality.

At this point in time, American democracy has already been deeply damaged, and without successful active resistance, Trump will fully realize his dictatorial aspirations.

 

To those who say or said It can't happen here. Well, sadly, that's wrong. It IS happening here and at lightning speed.

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Rich coming from the fascist Trump regime who pressured the cancellation of a  very high rated late night tv show (Colbert) because of it's sharp criticism of their regime. Ignore all such noise coming from the US now. They only want "free speech" for voices that mirror their extremist maga ideology abroad. The current U.S. government has no moral authority whatsoever to lecture any other nation on matters such as free speech, civil liberties, rule of law, and democracy.

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7 minutes ago, radiochaser said:

55555555555555555555555 ... 555555555555555555555555 ... 55555555555555555555555 .. 5555

Is your 5 keyboard key stuck?

8 hours ago, kwilco said:

pot calling the kettle black?

Have not seen anyone from America sent to prison for FB posts.  OK!

24 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Is your 5 keyboard key stuck?

It is used to mimic laughter....get a clue.

42 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No doubt about that whatsoever.

He sees himself as a dictator and his Project 2025 fueled regime is working very hard and very swiftly to fully accomplish that as reality.

At this point in time, American democracy has already been deeply damaged, and without successful active resistance, Trump will fully realize his dictatorial aspirations.

 

To those who say or said It can't happen here. Well, sadly, that's wrong. It IS happening here and at lightning speed.

BS....America is fine....I live here and we can post on FB without cops coming to lock us up.

 

We can go out and scream about Trump all night long and not worry about getting locked up.

 

There were more restrictions in America during Covid by Biden and other Liberal Governors.

2 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Have not seen anyone from America sent to prison for FB posts.  OK!

look more closely.

8 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

It is used to mimic laughter....get a clue.

You really think that I didn't know that?

4 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

I hope they didn't find any Brexitty books while they were visiting him or he might have some explaining to do. 

 

Clearly no need for police involvement in such cases, but it would be interesting to hear this book owner explain Brexit's benefits.

 

No doubt any explanation would be over almost before it started.

23 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Have not seen anyone from America sent to prison for FB posts.  OK!

AreaPolicy Examples

Immigration & CitizenshipTravel bans, ending birthright citizenship, deportations by political affiliation

Reproductive & LGBTQ+ RightsGag rules, reversal of protections, banning gender-affirming care, LGBTQ+ rollbacks

Surveillance & Free SpeechAlien Enemies Act use, deportations tied to speech, suppression of dissent

Transparency & Civil Rights ToolsData censorship, DEI dismantling, sidelining civil rights apparatus

Protests & Media SuppressionMilitary curfews, limiting access to detention, defunding public media

Global Human Rights Reporting - Politicized reporting undermining credibility

Restrictions imposed on opposition media.

Trump really is the best president one can imagine. He not only improves things for the US but also spares a thought for countries in Europe where ludicrous "hate speech" laws have been put in place to service client politics and restrict free speech.

 

Once again we are forced to applaud this superb president. Hopefully pressure from the US can play a role in eliminiating all these overzealous "hate speech" laws that serve only to silence free speech in favour of client politics.

Free speech isn't allowed.in the UK, there are numerous restrictions on  the press, very much the same as the SA and SR  then the SS in Germany under Hitler..

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Is your 5 keyboard key stuck?

You know what my post means, right?

5 hours ago, billd766 said:

Unless of course you "offend" the extremely thin skinned Trump who will bring the DoJ on to you. however if you are a government employee, in which case you will be sacked, no matter what your rank or position is.

There’s no definitive evidence that offending Donald Trump automatically results in the Department of Justice (DOJ) being weaponized against individuals or that government employees, regardless of rank, are systematically sacked for personal offenses against him. 

Of course unless you have some?