Photo Credit: Northamptonshire Police.

Lucy Connolly, the wife of former Conservative Northamptonshire councillor was jailed last October for admitting to Racial Hatred through a tweet. This moment has renewed uproar on the streets of Britain about their freedom of speech.

Freedom of Speech is deemed to be a human right which is a given in the western world, but how free should speech be? should it allow violence to be incited? should it discriminate against certain groups in society? Or should it have some sort of filtering?

While the UK doesn’t have a codified constitution or such a bold first amendment like the US. Freedom of Expression is protected under the human rights act 1998. But these offerings of speech rights differ, with the UK’s speech rights being able to be restricted if ‘Deemed Necessary’, (for national security or protecting the reputation of something).

So who decides this line?

Lucy Connolly, 41, of Northampton, has been charged with publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred. She will appear in court today.https://t.co/57miiuApt3@NorthantsPolice

— Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) August 10, 2024

Lucy Connolly’s sentencing has made people speak on whether the state has too much power in situations like these. Is the UK right to draw lines around speech? Or are we slowly legislating opinion?

But the UK’s free speech framework is built on the compromise of liberty & order, which theoretically isn’t a bad thing. It brings the argument that it keeps the British society tolerant and safe, although can create a chilling effect of self-censorship in the view they don’t want to be prosecuted like Lucy Connolly.

So does the UK have free speech? technically yes, but add an Asterix on the end.