UKIP Manifesto 2019

For Brexit and Beyond
30. Free Speech and Political Correctness
UKIP believes in allowing our people their traditional rights of freedom of expression, belief, conscience
and speech. These rights have been eroded over recent decades by the burgeoning concepts of so-called
‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crime’, driven by the political doctrine of Cultural Marxism, which seeks to close
down discussion and alternative views, so that only one extreme left-wing ‘politically correct’ viewpoint is
allowed.
• UKIP will repeal the Equality Act 2010, and shut the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and
Government Equality Office for their effects on free speech. (See section 26)
• We will repeal ‘hate speech’ guidelines that go well beyond a ban on incitement to violence and
seek to criminalise speech and expression according to subjective criteria such as that it is ‘offensive’ or
‘disturbing’, etc.
• UKIP will scrap the Police and Crown Prosecution Service’s guidelines on ‘hate crime’, which are
purely subjective and are now being interpreted to drag innocent people through the courts for having
politically incorrect opinions.
• The government should not intervene to censor news sources that deviate from the mainstream
media narrative, nor pressurise social media companies to deny access to individuals or commentators
which do not fit the progressive narrative.
• The internet must remain a space for open debate. On leaving the EU, UKIP will repeal all EU laws
which have curtailed freedom of expression.
• UKIP will classify internet social media platforms which censor legal content as publishers, making
them legally liable for all content on their platforms.
• UKIP will repeal Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), such as the Ealing PSPO, which outlaws
silent prayer. Since their introduction in 2014, they have been abused by local authorities to curtail lawful
protest and criminalise speech.
• Workplace Codes of Conduct should not curtail freedom of expression, belief, conscience or speech
outside the workplace.
• We will ensure freedom of speech on university campuses and require that University Codes of
Conduct pay particular regard to ensuring freedom of speech on campus.
• Islamophobia is a made-up word designed to silence discussion and criticism of a particular religion.
People in the UK must always have the freedom to criticise any religion, belief, or belief system. UKIP
opposes the creation of a statutory definition of Islamophobia which will further curtail freedom of speech.
• The systematic and industrialised sexual abuse of under-age and vulnerable young girls by
majority-Pakistani grooming and rape gangs is one of the greatest social scandals in English history, which
was silenced for many years due to political correctness. An independent national inquiry into local
authorities and police forces’ failure to protect children from rape gangs should be set up in order to bring
those responsible to account.
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