Liberty is not to be taken for granted. While the UK prides itself on the freedom it affords its citizens, the Covid pandemic has seen many liberties curtailed – movements restricted and our interactions with other people banned, for the common good.
Simultaneously, much more disturbing issues
of freedom have arisen. The Government’s police bill has signalled a willingness to severely limit our right to protest – we can assume the bill’s authors did not have pro-Government protests in mind when they were drafting this chilling
legislation. On a global scale, freedom of speech is threatened by companies as much as governments – just this week, Twitter bowed to political pressure to remove posts critical of the Indian government’s handling of the pandemic. Digital mega-corporations are happy to make billions from their positions of power, but are also increasingly abusing that power to censor digital communications. Acting as judge, jury and executioner, they make their own rules about what we can and cannot say, and violate human rights based on corporate policies on a seemingly daily basis. These companies control far more communications than any individual government and, as such, their censorship
can be much more damaging. I believe a city such as London, one with strong tech credentials, must be at the forefront of the battle to protect our freedoms. That is why, as your next Mayor, I will fight for digital freedom of speech and take these Silicon Valley technology companies to task. Our fundamental human right to free speech must be respected in all places, including digital platforms, meaning we can all:
Access information, uncensored, as long as it does not break the law
Publish legal information on any platform without being censored, banned or deplatformed
Exercise freedom of the press, respecting the right of any journalist to publish their work without censorship
Alongside defending our freedom of speech, I will also champion the right to protest.
The Government is using Covid as cover to restrict democratic freedoms that no country should be without. This is not a minor issue. Throughout history, protest has been a vehicle for some of the most important changes enacted in this country and around the world. London is home to the original Speakers’ Corner, a place where people like you and me can use the same platform as the likes of Orwell and Lenin to talk on matters of our own choice.
Speakers’ Corner is a symbol of tolerance, a
reminder that freedom of speech extends to ‘the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome, and the provocative’ as long as it does not provoke violence.
Freedom of speech is the freedom to disagree, to debate, to test. It is not something to give up, not even a little. That is why my manifesto includes a specific commitment to such freedoms and liberty.
It’s your freedom, our freedom, and I will fight to keep it.
The countdown is under way: make sure you use your vote, and let’s do this.
Best,
Brian Rose Your Next Mayor of London
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