A More in Common poll for rights group Liberty finds a majority of Britons say parties’ positions on free speech would affect their vote; respondents see recent policy and rhetoric as harmful to free expression.
Three in five people said a political party’s position on free speech would influence their vote.
More in Common polled a nationally representative sample of 2,017 people in Great Britain between 11 and 15 September.
# What the poll measured
# High-level findings
Three in five people told pollsters that a political party's stance on free speech would affect how they voted at a general election. A sizable share of respondents judged recent policies, arrests and political language as having a negative effect on free expression.
Specific measures and events in the public eye drew particular scrutiny. Respondents were split on expanded police powers to restrict protests, and many said public rhetoric that labels demonstrations "hate marches" or "thuggery" had hurt free speech.
# What people said about arrests and proscription
Since Palestine Action was proscribed, the article states that more than 3,600 people are believed to have been arrested for showing support, most for holding placards saying "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action." In the poll, two in five people said those arrests had a negative effect on freedom of speech, compared with one in five who said they had a positive effect.
# Political language and protest rules
More than half of respondents said calling protests "hate marches" or "thuggery" had been bad for free speech. When asked about politicians calling for particular phrases to be banned at protests, more than a third said that had been bad for free speech. Just over a quarter thought such calls were positive.
Act, which received royal assent in April, gives police increased powers to restrict protests, including requiring them to consider the "cumulative impact" of repeated demonstrations in the same area when imposing conditions. The poll found roughly equal proportions thought increased police powers to restrict protests were good and bad.
# What this means politically
Liberty interprets the poll as a warning to Labour that perceived failure to protect free speech could cost votes at the next general election. The findings show public unease with both heavier restrictions on protest and political rhetoric that frames demonstrations in criminal terms.
Readers should note the poll's timing and context: results were released ahead of a Liberty and More in Common panel event at the Labour party conference and follow a year in which protest policing, proscription and public debate about "cancel culture" have been prominent.
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