Britain's Free-Speech Retreat Can't Be Denied
Britain can brace itself for another scolding from US Vice President JD Vance. On Friday, a second anti-abortion activist was convicted of breaching a protest buffer zone outside a clinic, the same offense that prompted Vance to accuse the UK of backsliding on free speech in his February address to the Munich Security Conference. The Veep is right that Britain's climate for free expression is deteriorating — he just picked the wrong case to illustrate the point.
Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64-year-old retired medical scientist, was found guilty of breaching a legal perimeter when she stood near a clinic in southern England holding a sign that said 'Here to talk, if you want.' She was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £20,000 ($26,000). The US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor said it was disappointed by the outcome and freedom of expression 'must be protected for all.'
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