Petition · past parliament
Secure the right of citizens to speak without being oppressed by the government.
Rejected
18 signatures
What the petition asks
Freedom of Speech is one of the core tenets of The Enlightenment and post-theocratic western values. It secures people the right to say as they wish without being imprisoned or persecuted for it. Today thousands are arrested for tweets and speech deemed offensive, a gross violation of their rights.
America understood the value of Freedom of Speech centuries ago when it wrote the first amendment, and it is high time that the United Kingdom followed in its footsteps, creating a constitutional law that prohibits the government (and thus, police) from imprisoning or otherwise persecuting any individual for what they say. "Hateful" speech should be challenged with words, not force.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.
Timeline
| 19 Oct 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Oct 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
18
Status
Rejected
Rejected
24 Oct 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.