Greg Lukianoff - Uncovering Britain’s Free Speech Crisis...It's Worse Than You Know

Sep 6, 2025

Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, passionately discusses the alarming free speech crisis unfolding in Britain. He warns of authoritarianism linked to the Online Safety Act and disturbing arrests for online comments. Lukianoff highlights the dangers of state overreach and its implications for American freedoms. He also delves into historical ideologies, exploring how past oppressions illuminate today’s speech battles. With a focus on university campuses, he underscores the urgent need for reform in the landscape of free expression.

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ANECDOTE

Arrest Over Mean Tweets

Greg Lukianoff recounts Graham Linehan's arrest for offensive tweets after arriving in the UK and the public reaction.
He contrasts British enforcement with U.S. norms, saying the tweets would be protected speech in America.

INSIGHT

Scale Of Britain’s Speech Policing

Lukianoff warns Britain faces a free-speech crisis with roughly 10,000 arrests yearly for offensive online speech.
He equates that scale to arresting about 50,000–60,000 people per year in the U.S., showing a chilling effect.

INSIGHT

Non‑Crime Hate Reports Chill Speech

Lukianoff highlights 'non‑crime hate incidents' as a tool that chills speech beyond prosecutions.
He cites hundreds of thousands reported since 2014 as evidence of routine policing of offense.

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Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, joins The Winston Marshall Show for a sweeping conversation on free speech, censorship, and the dangers of state overreach.

Lukianoff warns that Britain is sliding into authoritarianism with the Online Safety Act, the arrest of comedian Graham Linehan for “offensive tweets,” and thousands of citizens detained each year for speech crimes. He explains why Americans should be alarmed—not only because of cultural ties, but because UK and EU laws like the Digital Services Act now risk exporting censorship to the United States.

They discuss the chilling effect of “non-crime hate incidents,” the hypocrisy of politicians who ignore Islamist extremism while cracking down on online speech, and why Big Tech is tripping over itself to appease Brussels bureaucrats. Lukianoff contrasts this with the Trump administration’s free speech battles on university campuses, where anti-Semitism and harassment rationales are being used to justify speech codes.

They also dive into the deeper history—Lenin, Marx, communism, and why the West never reckoned with the crimes of socialism—leaving us vulnerable to a new wave of ideological totalitarianism.

All this—Britain’s speech crisis, EU overreach, Trump and the universities, and the global struggle to preserve freedom of expression in the 21st century…

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Chapters

00:00 - Introduction & Guest Welcome

02:49 - Graham Linehan’s Arrest and Free Speech in the UK

05:08 - Arrests for Offensive Speech in the UK

07:34 - Non-Crime Hate Incidents and Social Attitudes

10:03 - Malcolm Gladwell, Trans Issues, and Chilling Effects

14:03 - The Online Safety Act and Censorship of Americans

17:04 - Why Americans Care About British Free Speech

19:14 - The EU Digital Services Act and Global Censorship

22:20 - Protecting Children Online: Policy and Parental Controls

28:41 - Free Speech in America: Trump, Wokeism, and Ideology

32:31 - Communism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism: Historical Parallels

36:30 - Reckoning with Socialism and Communism

39:30 - Karl Popper, Tolerance, and Hate Speech Laws

42:30 - Trump Administration, Campus Speech Codes, and Harassment

45:32 - Political Correctness and Speech Codes in Higher Ed

51:02 - Harvard, Civil Rights Act, and Federal Oversight

55:56 - The Right Way to Reform University Funding

58:52 - Free Speech for Pro-Palestinian Students and Deportation

1:10:19 - Why Harvard Ranks Lowest for Free Speech

1:13:21 - FIRE’s New Books and Campus Free Speech Rankings

1:13:56 - Closing Remarks

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