Beware the Creep of Censorship

Recent fears regarding the proposed laws the Government want to introduce over internet content have been strengthened with the revelation that campaign group Reporters Without Borders has warned that the freedom of the Press in the UK is at risk from Britain’s ‘heavy-handed’ laws.

The group suggests that ‘worrying trends’ in the UK now make it ‘one of the worst-ranked countries’ for press freedom. It said that Britain had robust independent media but was limited by ‘heavy-handed laws – often designed to protect national security but which go too far’. The UK is ranked 33rd, behind nations including Ghana, Latvia and Namibia.

Following this is news that Facebook has banned a number of far-right activist groups for indulging in ‘hate’ speech’. There may be some justification for such bans but the groups that have been banned are all British. KJM Today will never condone or support hate in any form but there is a trend here that should cause concern in the UK, a country that has been at the forefront of freedom of speech for decades.

The question that needs to be asked is: where does this stop?