When Vice President Vance called out the collapse of free speech and expression in Europe several weeks ago, many allied elites clutched their pearls. Vance was right, though, and he offered a number of illustrative examples in his address. A subsequent 60 Minutes package praising Germany's government censorship affirmed Vance's thesis. Additional instances the Vice President highlighted involved our British friends:
Perhaps most concerningly, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs. A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes—not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own. And after British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied, simply, it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before.
Now, the officers were not moved. Adam was found guilty of breaking the government’s new “buffer zones” law, which criminalizes silent prayer and other actions that could “influence” a person’s decision within 200 meters of an abortion facility. He was sentenced to pay thousands of pounds in legal costs to the prosecution. Now, I wish I could say that this was a fluke—a one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person. But, no, this last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called “safe access zones,” warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law. Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thoughtcrime. In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.
Here's the full address, in case you missed it in Febraury. The examples continue to pile up, as do the howling double standards:
They arrest Christians for silent prayer https://t.co/yvBG63qgn7
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 14, 2025
An Imam's radical anti-Semitic sermon is a tough judgment call for someone else to make -- but they slap handcuffs on silently praying Christians without a moment's hesitation. This reminded me of when a Briton was arrested for complaining on social media about Palestinian flags in his neighborhood, just weeks after the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas. His post was described by cops as "a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offence." This, after authorities stood by while vast pro-terrorism, anti-Semitic marches were taking place on a regular basis. Some of the only people detained at these hate rallies were peaceful counter-protesters. For their own safety, you see. Which is revealing unto itself. It seems that holding what is technically the British government's own formal position on Hamas is a real problem in Britain. Opposing a pack of murderous, bigoted savages might offend...certain people.. And we can't have that:
I'm speechless.
— Yehuda Teitelbaum (@chalavyishmael) March 23, 2025
A British maintenance engineer was fired for calling Hamas “disgusting terrorists” in a post marking one year since the October 7th massacre. The company claimed his words caused “significant offense,” especially to staff with “Muslim or Palestinian backgrounds,”… pic.twitter.com/sF4hZvEDTd
If calling Hamas "disgusting terrorists" is offensive to someone, that seems like a problem with them, not the person accurately condemning genocidal jihadists. Who, exactly, is calling the shots in the United Kingdom these days?
‘Refugee Week’ is more important than Easter because of ‘respect for diverse beliefs’.
— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) March 23, 2025
This isn’t inclusivity; it’s cultural surrender.
Britain’s Christian roots are being erased by spineless leaders who’d rather appease than preserve.
Where’s the respect for our country’s… https://t.co/PX6KW2jGwS
One element of society, in particular, demands their "diverse religious beliefs" be "respected," to the exclusion of others, while attempting to impose supremacy. And a lot of public officials are acquiescing. A lot of 'elites' in this country share the same culturally suicidal mentality, too:
The “attack on Columbia” he decries is *not* the violent occupation of buildings by pro-terrorist mobs—but the government pressuring the school to stop allowing violations of the law & Jewish students’ civil rights. He wants the latter, not the former, “forcefully” addressed. https://t.co/tEEH2EwSm7
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 23, 2025
I'll leave you with this:
When Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders. https://t.co/yNBXa86gjB
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 23, 2025
