Human rights ‘worsened’ in Britain last year amid increased anti-Semitic violence and growing curbs on free speech, according to Donald Trump‘s administration.
A new report by the US State Department found ‘credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression’ and violence ‘motivated by anti-Semitism’.
The assessment, which analyses human rights conditions worldwide, said there were ‘specific areas of concern’ involving curbs on ‘political speech deemed ‘hateful’ or offensive’.
The report pointed to laws establishing ‘safe access zones’ around abortion clinics in England and Wales.
‘These restrictions on freedom of speech could include prohibitions on efforts to influence others when inside a restricted area, even through prayer or silent protests,’ it said.
The State Department also highlighted last summer’s Southport murders, in which three young girls were stabbed to death.
The report said, following the attacks, that ‘local and national government officials repeatedly intervened to chill speech as to the identity and motives of the attacker’.
‘Numerous non-government organisations and media outlets criticised the Government’s approach to censoring speech, both in principle and in the perceived weaponisation of law enforcement against political views disfavoured by authorities,’ it added.
‘While many media observers deemed ‘two-tier’ enforcement of these laws following the Southport attacks an especially grievous example of Government censorship, censorship of ordinary Britons was increasingly routine, often targeted at political speech.’
Human rights ‘worsened’ in Britain last year amid increased anti-Semitic violence and growing curbs on free speech, according to Donald Trump’s administration
A new report by the US State Department found ‘credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression’ and violence ‘motivated by anti-Semitism’
The State Department’s assessment echoed sentiments previously expressed by US vice president JD Vance
Immediately after the Southport stabbings, false rumours spread online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.
These were judged to have fuelled the riots seen in the aftermath of the murders, while there were also prosecutions of those found to have stirred up violence and racial hatred on social media.
The State Department report also cited evidence of a large increase in anti-Semitic incidents across the UK in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October, 2023.
‘There were credible reports of crimes, violence, and threats of violence motivated by anti-Semitism,’ it said.
The assessment echoed sentiments previously expressed by US vice president JD Vance.
In February, Mr Vance criticised the UK over a legal case in which a former serviceman who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic was convicted of breaching the safe zone around the centre.
In a wider attack on what he suggested was a shift away from democratic values across Europe, Mr Vance claimed the ‘basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular’ are under threat.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Mr Vance said that the US’ ‘very dear friends the United Kingdom’ appeared to have seen a ‘backslide in conscience rights’.
The State Department report directed criticism over the handling of free speech at the governments of Germany and France.
But it also said the UK Government ‘effectively’ enforced laws around freedom of association and the rights of workers.
It concluded: ‘The human rights situation worsened in the United Kingdom during the year.
‘Significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.
‘The Government sometimes took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, but prosecution and punishment for such abuses was inconsistent.’
A UK Government spokesperson said: ‘Free speech is vital for democracy around the world, including here in the UK and we are proud to uphold freedoms whilst keeping our citizens safe.’
