Proposer: Lauren Wilson
Congress notes that the civil liberties of the working people of Britain are under attack with our ability to speak freely, assemble and protest under threat by an increasingly authoritarian Labour government.
Following the murder of three young girls in Southport in the summer of 2024, dozens were arrested in a wave of protests which were of an anti Islam and anti immigrant character. One man was sentenced to two years in prison for stating on social media that the perpetrator of the mass murder was a Muslim, which at the time was kept from the public however turned out to be true. That the murderer was Muslim is neither here nor there, it is obvious that it should not be a criminal act to speculate on the religion of a killer. The man sentenced to two years in prison went on to commit suicide shortly after.
We can disagree with people who oppose refugees being admitted into the country, we can disagree with people who are racist, who are anti Muslim etc but we should accept that in a democratic and supposedly free society that it should not land you in jail for holding disagreeable positions and sharing them on social media. Especially at a time when the Labour government has released a not insignificant number of violent criminals from prison, citing ‘overcrowding’.
Free speech is a basic human right for us all, and we should know it is only a matter of time before our own speech opposing the state and our ruling class is criminalised. In fact there were many attempts made while the Tories were in power to criminalise the pro Palestinian protests across the nation under the guise of anti Semitism. This trend has continued under the Labour government with the arrest, detaining and charges levelled at our member Richard Medhurst, as well as Sarah Wilkinson and a host of other anti-imperialist activists and journalists.
We should expect this behaviour to continue as the Labour government gear up for war with Russia, Iran and China. In addition to the deepening implementation of austerity by the Labour government.
As the economic crisis worsens and the drive to war ramps up, we must continue to defend the ideals of freedom, liberty and democracy.
Congress therefore notes that the Workers Party of Britain:
Supports the meagre freedoms still nominally held by the working class including freedom of assembly and association
Defends the right to free speech for all workers, even those with disagreeable opinions
Opposes imprisonment for innocuous social media posts
Support 100%
This is an extremely important motion. It’s true that the Southport protests were a gift to the Labour government, who used those who posted views that the liberal demographic would agree were unsavoury, as a precedent to arrest anyone whose views they deemed to be extremist. The Workers Party must be at the forefront of defending free speech under these current conditions.
Yes, an important position to take. The WPB should embrace free speech precisely because it is the weapon we can use against racists and fascists.
A crucial motion. Failure to protect our ability to speak and assemble freely in public will impede our ability to organise enormously and would effectively suppress our party.
Will 100% support this motion at congress.