Glen Owen – Daily Mail Sept 5, 2026
A major free speech row erupted last night after it was revealed that more than 60,000 people have been arrested over the past five years for ‘communications offences’ – some as trivial as viewing disparaging TikTok videos.
The astonishing figure has been described as ‘Orwellian’, and having a ‘chilling effect’ in stifling opinions online.
The statistics – to be published in a hard-hitting report this week – also highlight the chaotic implementation of rules on ‘malicious’ messaging, with some police forces making 14 times more arrests under the powers than others.
The report, by campaign group Big Brother Watch, discloses that at least 62,199 people in the UK have been arrested for such offences over the past half-decade, with 18,510 being charged and 12,292 convicted.
Campaigners say that although a proportion of the arrests will be justifiable – such as intervention to stop threatening messages from abusive partners in domestic violence cases – the scope of the laws has spawned a rash of over-zealous policing of everyday communications.
The report cites the case of West Midlands Police visiting the home of a vulnerable teenage girl to accuse her over a TikTok post containing a teacher’s image with negative comments.
They demanded that the girl hand over all her devices and either attend a voluntary interview or face arrest – even though she had not created, shared or commented on the video.
The investigation later concluded with the child formally told that no further action was taken. The force defended their actions on the grounds that they were ‘investigating alleged malicious communications offences’.
Writing in today’s Mail On Sunday, Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: ‘Why are the authorities spending so much time policing our tweets when they could be policing our streets?
‘Shoplifting, mobile phone theft and sexual offences are all on the rise, yet the police seem increasingly obsessed with catching thought criminals.
‘The sheer number of people being arrested for online offences, even though only one in five end up being convicted, cannot help but have a chilling effect on free speech.
‘People up and down the country daren’t say what they think about a whole range of issues for fear they’ll get a knock on their door at four in the morning by a couple of plainclothes officers wearing rainbow lanyards.’
Last year, a Hertfordshire couple were arrested after they made complaints about their daughter’s primary school on a WhatsApp group chat.
Rosalind Levine and Maxie Allen were held for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications.
They later received £20,000 in damages following a public outcry.
Big Brother Watch says ‘the elasticity of vaguely defined speech offences’ in legislation such as the Online Safety Act has also led to wide divergences between arrest rates across the country.
While Cumbria Police arrested 25.7 people per 10,000 over five years – around 2.5 times the national average – neighbouring Northumbria did so for just 1.9 people per 10,000.
The laws have also been used to shut down or age-restrict internet forums on political parties, British history and even famous artworks.
Analysis of communities on the Reddit website showed that discussions as diverse as horror film posters, advice on supporting a friend through chemotherapy, 1970s punk bands and ‘annoying papercuts’ were all placed behind digital age barriers.
Big Brother Watch is demanding an independent national review into the laws affecting freedom of speech in the UK and for action to ‘restore Britain’s free speech laws and culture’.
In another high-profile case, Lucy Connolly was jailed after calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire in the wake of the Southport murders in July 2024. She was sentenced to 31 months in jail.
Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said: ‘There is mounting concern among the public that speech policing is out of control in Britain and it’s long overdue that the government takes action.
‘Andy Burnham must now launch a free speech reset and order an independent review of our laws and police training around speech, in order to fix this Orwellian mess.
‘Thousands of people are being arrested for controversial speech, online jokes and non-violent protest. People have even been arrested for holding blank pieces of paper, and urged to take ‘online thinking skills’ courses by police. Enough is enough.’
the british judges in their antiquity
ridiculous wigs should be abolished,
same this antiquite underhouse + house
of lords . its a symbol of englands
falseness of classmoral . falseness so
is cemented in english society + poisoned
specialy all the homosexuals in high
positions . a society like this is a stinking
dungpit !
Free speech? In britain? Don’t make me laugh…
Meanwhile, satanic shit rags like the talmud openly espouse that it is fine and dandy for adults to rape 3-year-old children and nobody says dick about it….
We clearly suffer in a whirled of satanic inversion in which an online comment is treated as if you physically strangled someone. Political correctness is a malignant cancer and the enemy of truth & freedom.
the reason why criminals are being released from prison is for these folk to take their place
crazy
“Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union” – so now we got a free speech Union? It’s about time, hahaha!
All those using pc’s and other devices glued to the “internet” ever monitored the DAILY dataflow and especially the forced updates run by browsers, Gatensteins open windows, Linux, apps and all the other usual crab mechanisms of private data theft? YOU will be surprised what massive amounts of “data” whishy washes through “your” system! And by the way Linux is no exemption at all.
Your “own” browser like Opera (Brave/Chromium/etc) is using approximately +/- 300MB per week YOU pay for of which are at least 10% “Uploads” – uploads of Your own daily data you “consume” and eventually is fed into your brand spanking new data center in the neighbourhood – for $urvilance to be used against YOU whenever it might seem necessary. And that can get pretty bad especially when one some 20 years ago called a “Jew” a “Jew” or you are part of the commentators in especially designed forums to monitor “dissidents”.
And to be honest I have no freaking clue what Toby Young and his free speech Union is about as gallows for “big brother” and his Go-vermin minions seems the ONLY option here and everywhere else – instead of free speech Onions.
antiJHWH@ You should be given life in prison for your online comment on TS. And it should comprise luxury accommodation, including a colour TV, Wi-Fi, a top-of-the-range computer, anything and everything you might need, and as much delicious food as you can eat. And if you’re a bloke who likes sex with willing, beautiful, gorgeous women, as and when you like, wow, that should be allowed also! And as for occasional recreation, you should be allowed to visit paradise locations and be pampered as part of your rehabilitation. And by the way – I’d appreciate it if you could please put my name down for some of that treatment for me as well, for having the nerve and audacity to write this comment?!😊👍🤣