Comedian Arrested For Social Media Uploads, British PM Guarantees Freedom Of Speech But There Are Limits
JAKARTA - Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain consistently protects free speech, but when the freedom has its limits and is prohibited from being used to inciting concrete actions that harm children and vulnerable groups.
"Freedom speech is one of the basic values of the United Kingdom, and we protect it persistently and persistently, and it will always be," Starmer told reporters at a press conference with US President Donald Trump.
"I draw a limit between free speech and those who want to spread pedophilia and suicide (on) social media to children," he said.
"Therefore, I support freedom of speech, but I also support the protection of children from things that would harm them," continued Starmer.
The new UK Online Security Act requires social media companies to remove illegal content on their platforms.
Encouraging self-harm behavior, for example, is designated as a criminal act so that it is protected by law.
Previous government efforts to ban content deemed "dangerous but legal" have been canceled as it risks curbing free speech.
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However, police action on social media posts, such as the arrest of Irish comedian Graham Linehan for talking about transgender issues in X earlier this month, raises questions about how existing laws should be applied within the scope of cyberspace.
Polisi menegaskan kewenangannya dalam penangkapan Linehan, tetapi mengatakan petugasnya berada dalam "posisi yang mungkinan" untuk mediasi antara kebebasan berbicara dan konten kriminal.