United Kingdom — The recent conflict concerning freedom of speech in Britain no longer takes place merely in the Parliament, courts or social media. It has made its way to the London Underground, where large advertisements proclaiming “Freedom of speech makes Britain great” turned commuters into witnesses of this new aspect of the fight for civil liberties.
The advertisement campaign started by Big Brother Watch on September 9, 2026, is connected with the release of the report on the issue of free speech in Britain. Commuters at Oxford Circus stations are presented with the message “Unmute yourself” along with the other slogans – “Speak your mind” and similar ones. The same message can also be seen at Clapham Common station.
However, there is a rather uncomfortable statistic behind these glitzy adverts. As per Big Brother Watch, an analysis of the Freedom of Information data reveals that it has been established that at least 62,199 people have been arrested in the years from 2021 to 2025 for crimes against communications. Out of these 62,199, at least 18,500 people have been charged, while 12,292 people have been convicted.
According to the organisation, enforcement varies greatly across the territories of Britain. The report mentions that from Cumbria, it has been recorded that there have been 25.7 arrests per 10,000 residents, whereas in neighbouring Northumbria the measure has been only 1.9 arrests per 10,000 people, which creates what is known as the “postcode lottery”.
Another area of contention is the Online Safety Act. According to Big Brother Watch, polling done by YouGov found that the public was most concerned with the impact of various legislation on freedom of speech. Of those MPs who commented on the legislation, two-thirds (67%) supported changing the Act or replacing it altogether.
The call for reform comes after a proposal made by Big Brother Watch and other civil rights organisations on September 6 for a review of UK legislation relating to ongoing restrictions on freedom of speech.
Now, the scene is set on the Underground trains of London, where the question to be addressed is how far democracy can go in restricting freedom in the name of greater safety.
