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What is it about these UK politics posts that draws a particular type of commenter? What the heck media are these folks consuming to have such a warped view of

What is it about these UK politics posts that draws a particular type of commenter? What the heck media are these folks consuming to have such a warped view of this country?

lordnacho 10mo ago
I've had American colleagues ask me about the London crime wave. They seem to have some sort of alternative news source that doesn't tell them murders have halved from the high point around the millennium. https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/london-murder-rate-drops-to-lowest-levels-on-record-399309/ https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/london-murder-rate-dr... Then they say it's about knife crime. Where the UK also does better than the US. https://www.euronews.com/2018/05/05/trump-s-knife-crime-claim-how-do-the-us-and-uk-compare- https://www.euronews.com/2018/05/05/trump-s-knife-crime-clai...
StanislavPetrov 10mo ago
Probably the media that shows the UK locking up old ladies and people in wheelchairs for speaking out publicly against ongoing UK support for genocide (among other "speech offenses").
- iamacyborg 10mo ago
  You might be missing some important context, namely that they’re doing so under the guise of a proscribed organisation.
  - Supermancho 10mo ago
    > proscribed orgnanization That doesn't change the context. A different justification doesn't change the practical effect. The curtailing of speech is discussed as problematic by many of the residents openly. I certainly have had an earful touring across the entirety of the isles.
  - danparsonson 10mo ago
    For anyone like me who is not up to date with this news: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/uk-palestine-action-ban-disturbing-misuse-uk-counter-terrorism-legislation https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/uk-palestine... > “The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary. It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,” the High Commissioner said. “As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK’s obligations under international human rights law.” > > Since the UK Government’s ban came into effect on 5 July, at least 200 people have been arrested under the UK Terrorism Act 2000, many of them while attending peaceful protests. So it seems you're also missing important context when you wave the whole thing away because "it's a proscribed organisation" - that proscription is in fact another example of government overreach.
  - rcxdude 10mo ago
    That proscription being done by that same government. I don't think that context paints them in any better light.
- 984635026859846 10mo ago
  Well what else can you expect from a far-left regime that openly supports the jihadist vermin raping and murdering Jews.
  - tomhow 10mo ago
    We've banned this account. Users who comment like this are instantly banned, no matter who or what it's about.
bondarchuk 10mo ago
You can just read it on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_the_United_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_the_United_Kingd... ("(Redirected from Freedom of speech in the United Kingdom)" kind of funny innit)
matheusmoreira 10mo ago
George Orwell's 1984.
owisd 10mo ago
Seems to be a device for American free speech advocates to feel like they’re contributing something while being distracted from Trump chilling free speech by shaking down CBS & ABC, defunding Harvard, bogus investigations into James Comey, Tish James & others, Texas school book bannings, AAUP vs Rubio, etc, etc.
- tick_tock_tick 10mo ago
  I mean all of those are downright minor compared to what's happening in the UK. Seriously it's creepy how many people try to gaslight Americans that what we are seeing isn't one of the largest trampling on the rights of free speech in the west.
  - bamboozled 10mo ago
    You are a boiling frog, "oh it's minor, it's minor, it's just jokes, it's just a little bit"...
    - tick_tock_tick 10mo ago
      lol I mean it's objectly minor compared to the UK I'm not going to say it's great over here but we aren't jailing people for mean tweets. Seriously get some perspective man.
      - bamboozled 10mo ago
        Why don’t you get some perspective ?
tick_tock_tick 10mo ago
Most Americans generally think European governments are more relaxed and less authoritarian than our own so finding out how much worse than us they are is a complete shock. It doesn't help that Europeans all jump into the comments trying to gaslight everyone that they have something even vaguely close to free speech.

What is it about these UK politics posts that draws a particular type of commenter? What the heck media are these folks consuming to have such a warped view of this country?

lordnacho 10mo ago

I've had American colleagues ask me about the London crime wave. They seem to have some sort of alternative news source that doesn't tell them murders have halved from the high point around the millennium. https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/london-murder-rate-drops-to-lowest-levels-on-record-399309/ https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/london-murder-rate-dr... Then they say it's about knife crime. Where the UK also does better than the US. https://www.euronews.com/2018/05/05/trump-s-knife-crime-claim-how-do-the-us-and-uk-compare- https://www.euronews.com/2018/05/05/trump-s-knife-crime-clai...

StanislavPetrov 10mo ago

Probably the media that shows the UK locking up old ladies and people in wheelchairs for speaking out publicly against ongoing UK support for genocide (among other "speech offenses").

iamacyborg 10mo ago
You might be missing some important context, namely that they’re doing so under the guise of a proscribed organisation.
- Supermancho 10mo ago
  > proscribed orgnanization That doesn't change the context. A different justification doesn't change the practical effect. The curtailing of speech is discussed as problematic by many of the residents openly. I certainly have had an earful touring across the entirety of the isles.
- danparsonson 10mo ago
  For anyone like me who is not up to date with this news: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/uk-palestine-action-ban-disturbing-misuse-uk-counter-terrorism-legislation https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/uk-palestine... > “The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary. It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,” the High Commissioner said. “As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK’s obligations under international human rights law.” > > Since the UK Government’s ban came into effect on 5 July, at least 200 people have been arrested under the UK Terrorism Act 2000, many of them while attending peaceful protests. So it seems you're also missing important context when you wave the whole thing away because "it's a proscribed organisation" - that proscription is in fact another example of government overreach.
- rcxdude 10mo ago
  That proscription being done by that same government. I don't think that context paints them in any better light.
984635026859846 10mo ago
Well what else can you expect from a far-left regime that openly supports the jihadist vermin raping and murdering Jews.
- tomhow 10mo ago
  We've banned this account. Users who comment like this are instantly banned, no matter who or what it's about.

bondarchuk 10mo ago

You can just read it on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_the_United_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_the_United_Kingd... ("(Redirected from Freedom of speech in the United Kingdom)" kind of funny innit)

matheusmoreira 10mo ago

George Orwell's 1984.

owisd 10mo ago

Seems to be a device for American free speech advocates to feel like they’re contributing something while being distracted from Trump chilling free speech by shaking down CBS & ABC, defunding Harvard, bogus investigations into James Comey, Tish James & others, Texas school book bannings, AAUP vs Rubio, etc, etc.

tick_tock_tick 10mo ago
I mean all of those are downright minor compared to what's happening in the UK. Seriously it's creepy how many people try to gaslight Americans that what we are seeing isn't one of the largest trampling on the rights of free speech in the west.
- bamboozled 10mo ago
  You are a boiling frog, "oh it's minor, it's minor, it's just jokes, it's just a little bit"...
  - tick_tock_tick 10mo ago
    lol I mean it's objectly minor compared to the UK I'm not going to say it's great over here but we aren't jailing people for mean tweets. Seriously get some perspective man.
    - bamboozled 10mo ago
      Why don’t you get some perspective ?

tick_tock_tick 10mo ago

Most Americans generally think European governments are more relaxed and less authoritarian than our own so finding out how much worse than us they are is a complete shock. It doesn't help that Europeans all jump into the comments trying to gaslight everyone that they have something even vaguely close to free speech.