Free speech is one of the current favourite subjects of the American far right, with the Vice President travelling to Europe in February to claim that ‘commissars’ in the EU were somehow snuffing it out.
This was at the Munich Security Conference. Vance raised a legal case in Britain, which saw an army veteran who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic convicted of breaching a 150-metre safe zone around the centre.
Farage has picked up on the arrest at Heathrow of Graham Linehan, the Irish writer behind the Father Ted TV series (which I confess I’ve never watched). This was apparently because of some tweets Linehan posted in April, which were said to have risked inciting violence. He has been bailed and as yet, hasn’t been charged with any offence. The Spectator described the incident as an example of Britain's 'soft totalitarianism'.
The irony is that in the USA, Trump is systematically destroying any notion of free speech. He bans news outlets that report the truth or are mildly critical of him, sues broadcasters for billions for editing interviews in ways he doesn’t like, attacks universities, launches investigations against his political opponents, and threatens Senators and judges. And all explicitly designed to force people to accept his twisted version of reality. So much for free speech. It has never been more imperilled than in present-day America.
Let me say I have no idea about the rights and wrongs of any of these cases, or indeed that of Lucy Connolly who was jailed for incitement over social media posts following the Southport riots.
What I do object to is the suggestion that these events represent a crushing of free speech. The police may have overstepped the mark at Heathrow, but the law will take its course and Mr Linehan will have every opportunity to defend himself in court - or, like Mrs Connolly, plead guilty after taking legal advice.
The official position in the UK is, in fact, not that different to the USA. You can say what you like, but not without limits. You can’t defame people or incite others to violence, for example. That seems perfectly reasonable to me. You can criticise the government as much as you like in this country, but try it in the USA and you're at risk of arrest and detention and potentially deportation if you happen to be foreign.
The hypocrisy of Farage knows no bounds. He (and Vance) have said nothing, as far as I know, about Palestine protests and people being arrested and charged simply for brandishing banners about the genocide in Gaza.
To listen to Farage and Vance, Britain and Europe are examples of brutal, repressive dictatorships, while Russia, China and other authoritarian regimes are somehow paragons of liberal openness and free speech. They may look stable, but then so do other police states - until they aren't. It will be fascinating to see what happens when Putin and Xi Jinping die or are forced to give up power. Look out for a bloody struggle to become the next autocrat. That's the difference.
Incidentally, you might want to watch the absolutely masterful take-down of Farage at the hearing by Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who is the ranking member on the judiciary committee and a law professor:
It's fully ten minutes but well worth your time.
If only someone in this country could do the same. We can only hope that happens before the next election. How Farage is leading in the polls (and increasing his lead) is simply beyond me. I despair.
