MEND BRIEFING RELEASE: NO RACE TO THE BOTTOM: AVOIDING FURTHER CURBS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER LABOUR

MEND is pleased to announce the release of a new and important briefing paper titled, No Race to the Bottom: Avoiding Further Curbs to Freedom of Speech Under Labour.

The briefing argues that our democracy, and particularly freedom of speech, is being put at risk by government actors who seem to want to criminalise dissent, particularly the Gaza solidarity movement. It focuses in particular on one man – John Woodcock, also known as Lord Walney – who is the government’s Advisor on Political Violence and Disruption. As the briefing clearly shows, Walney’s past, and the kinds of policies he stands for, do not bode well for the future of our freedom of speech if his recommendations are taken seriously by the Labour government.

The briefing arrives in the post-election period, when it has become ever clearer that Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and the refusal on the part of many British politicians to wholeheartedly condemn it, caused shifts in the voting habits among some the country’s Muslims. Constituencies with a higher than average Muslim voter base that were once considered safe Labour territory, like parts of Leicester, Birmingham and London, decisively swung toward smaller parties and independent candidates running on more vocal Gaza solidarity platforms.

At the same time, these trends have been accompanied by startling allegations that pro-Palestine members of the public used tactics of intimidation against MPs in order to influence the electoral outcome. While any such actions must be vigorously condemned, there is great concern that this narrative is being seized upon to continue the trend established under the last government of cracking down on freedom of speech and assembly, especially when it comes to the issue of the Israeli action in Gaza.

Please CLICK HERE to download this important briefing.