A clip of actor Rowan Atkinson speaking about the importance of free speech has resurfaced after Elon Musk spoke out about the "alarming" way freedom of speech is being undermined across the world.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering placing a duty on social media companies to restrict “legal but harmful” content and children as young as five will be taught to spot fake news online.
Writing on X, Musk said: "Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy. If the truth is suppressed, it is impossible to make an informed voting decision.
"The degree to which freedom of speech is being undermined around the world is extremely alarming."
Now, a video from 2012 of Rowan Atkinson speaking at a Parliamentary reception for Reform Section 5 has gained traction for its significance today.
The Reform Section 5 campaign was to remove "insulting words or behaviour" which were outlawed in Section 5 of the Law of Public Order and Protest.
The campaign succeeded and in 2013, the Government agreed to reform Section 5 of the Public Order Act to give more protection to free speech.
In his speech advocating for the reform, Atkinson said: "When it comes to the consideration of any issue relating to free speech it is my passionate belief that the second most precious thing in life is the right to express yourself freely."
Atkinson described those who were prosecuted under Section 5 as "censorship of the most intimidating kind guaranteed to have... a 'chilling effect' on free expression and free protest."
He continued: "The clear problem with outlawing of insult is that too many things can be interpreted as such. Criticism is easily construed as insult by certain parties.
"Ridicule, easily construed as insult. Sarcasm, unfavourable comparison, merely stating an alternative point of view to the orthodoxy can be interpreted as insult.
Elon Musk posted on X about freedom of speech as the "bedrock of democracy"
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"And because so many things can be interpreted as insult, it is hardly surprising that so many things have been."
He continued to describe the law as "indicative of a culture that has taken hold of the programmes of successive governments, that with the reasonable and well-intentioned ambition to contain obnoxious elements in society, has created a society of an extraordinarily authoritarian and controlling nature.
"It is what you might call the new intolerance, a new but intense desire to gag uncomfortable voices of dissent."
The actor outlined that his way to increase society's resistance to insulting or offensive speech is to "allow a lot more of it" to "build our immunity of taking offence."
Atkinson added: "If we want a robust society, we need more robust dialogue, and that must include the right to insult or to offend."
Finally, the actor said he hoped the repeal of the Section 5 clause would be "only a small step... in what should be a longer-term project to pause and slowly rewind a creeping culture of censoriousness."
