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“Two countries separated by a common language” is how transatlantic relations are often defined. But these days it really does seem like some in Washington are struggling to understand what is going on this side of the pond. Cockburn has previously noted how British-based networks like the Center for Countering Digital Hate have enraged congressional Republicans with their demands for a big tech crackdown. Now it seems that some on Capitol Hill are broadening out their critique still further.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have today criticized the UK’s Online Safety Act as part of a “tsunami of censorship headed towards America.” According to congressman Darrell Issa, a member of the aforementioned panel:
Legislation like the Online Safety Act that is said to combat ‘hate speech’ empowers regulators to censor free speech. Congressional Republicans understand that these threats to free speech are part of a broader global push by the Censorship Industrial Complex, which includes not only the EU, UK, and other nations but also malign actors here at home. We are committed to confronting this growing threat alongside the incoming Trump Administration to fight against these assaults on free speech within our borders and around the world.
Sounds like Whitehall will struggle to do much about Silicon Valley these next four years then. The committee also criticized abortion center “buffer zones,” having recently interviewed Brit Isabel Vaughan-Spruce. A practicing Catholic , she recently won a payout of £13,000 ($16,000) from West Midlands Police for her two unlawful arrests for silently praying in an abortion center “buffer zone” in Birmingham.
With Reform’s leader — and Trump bestie — Nigel Farage warning publicly about the “very sinister” “crackdown on free expression within the UK,” expect to see today’s Republicans taking a less rose-tinted view of the UK than their predecessors did…
This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.
