The British government is cracking down on its citizens — not for crimes, but for thoughts and opinions. Are we next in line for this biggest of big government pressure?
Despite being called “far right protests” by British media, this civil unrest centered on crimes and perceived injustices related to mass migration and cultural upheaval. British streets are flooded with protestors and counter-protestors, stretching British law enforcement. Average citizens have had enough. Immigrants who demand amnesty and public services are stretching British resources, yet the British government has decided that words on social media are to blame.
A mere two years ago, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced the creation of a DHS Disinformation Governance Board. Nothing scary there! There’s never a problem when the government governs your thoughts! The ill-conceived “Disinformation Board” died a quick and public death, and rightfully so. Ostensibly DHS would have monitored communications, opinions and reporting of domestic citizens and businesses right here in the United States.
When did that become OK? Short answer: never.
It is not the role of government to determine truth, assign opinions and censor thought. It was only the outcry of freedom-conscious conservatives that shut down DHS’s Orwellian effort before it got off the ground. Yet, even knowing they tried should give us pause.
But the increasingly socialistic government of Great Britain did shut down speech. Recently rebranded as “the National Security Online Information Team,” what started to fight Covid disinformation has morphed into an effort to redirect and prosecute thought, bringing alarming implications for the citizens of our greatest ally.
Add to the fray that the British government recently passed legislation making it a crime to post, repost or host topics that it considers inciteful or designed to malign or cause unrest, and you begin to sense the foreboding hand of Big Brother. The benignly named “Online Safety Act” is still being implemented, but the liberal mayor of London (the same mayor who posts cameras to verify use of climate-friendly vehicles) is asking UK Ministers to review the law “very, very quickly” in light of recent civil unrest.
But who decides? Who has the final say for this word to be OK, but that word not? The government apparently.
By their own admission, British law enforcement is “scouring social media” via “dedicated police officers” under their new mandate. Stephen Parkinson, Britain’s Director of Public Prosecutions, said:
Their job is to look for this material and then follow up with identification, arrests, and so forth. So, it’s really, really serious. People might think they’re not doing anything harmful—they are, and the consequences will be visited upon them.
But that wasn’t enough. They intend to hunt down people outside of their own borders who dare to post online in a manner not deemed fitting under British law. “We have liaison prosecutors around the globe, who’ve got local links with the local judiciary,” Parkinson explained. “We would certainly consider extradition if we are satisfied that an offense has been committed.”
How about this? “Come and take it.”
Extradition is not likely. The idea that an American citizen may post something on their social media in a manner otherwise protected under constitutionally protected American speech, be tried in absentia in England, and then extradited against their will to serve out a judicial punishment for crimes in that foreign land is out there on the margins of disbelief.
But the mere fact that he said it should give all of free Western society a moment of collective pause.
Calls are already being made to condemn and indict Elon Musk for daring to speak about the situation on his own social media platform. Posting on X (formerly Twitter) Musk said:
Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy. If the truth is suppressed, it is impossible to make an informed voting decision.
The degree to which freedom of speech is being undermined around the world is extremely alarming.
In other posts, Musk has drawn the ire of British leaders by addressing their heavy-handedness directly.
In a recent column, legal scholar and professor Jonathan Turley cited innumerable cases of seemingly benign speech resulting in the arrest of British citizens. Turley went on to say that too many liberal progressive leaders in the U.S. are working to bring this same measure of thought control to our own borders. “The effort of these politicians would allow free speech to be reduced to the lowest common denominator as countries export their anti-free speech laws,” he concluded.
George Orwell’s writings suddenly seem very prescient. This is nothing more than the “thought police” from Orwell’s classic novel “1984.” The secret police of the dystopian superstate in Orwell’s book had a charter to discover and punish thoughtcrime – those personal and political thoughts unapproved by the regime. Their methods were a mix of psychology and omnipresent surveillance. When the book was written in 1949, it sounded far-fetched.
Once again, reality is stranger than fiction and sometimes fiction is based in reality.
I lived in Great Britain for three wonderful years. It was a life-changing time. The British people are the salt of the earth. They may call soccer football and drink their tea hot, but they are much like us: freedom-minded, independent, courageous and capable. Great Britain is our greatest ally, and we cannot be without their presence alongside us on the world stage.
But the government is NOT well-suited to set itself up as the arbiter of truth. When those who govern believe they can regulate thought, well … that is where truth goes to die, and freedom of speech becomes a dusty memory.
Speech is our right. Come and take it.
To contact Phil or request him for a speaking engagement, go to www.rightsideradio.org. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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