Free Speech Campaigner Brendan O'Neill has declared that it is "essential" for non-crime hate incidents to be scrapped following calls from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
The Conservative Party has proposed scrapping the recording of non-crime hate incidents by police in England and Wales, except in limited circumstances.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the current practice, saying non-crime hate incidents have "wasted police time chasing ideology and grievance instead of justice".
"The British public want police on the streets – fighting crime and protecting families – not trawling social media for things someone might find offensive," Badenoch said.
Brendan O'Neill said it is 'essential' for Labour to get rid of non-crime hate incidents
GB News / PA
On GB News, O'Neill said it is a "good thing" the Tories have it in their crosshairs.
O'Neill explained: "It's not only a good thing, it's an essential thing. We've got to get rid of these non-crime hate incidents.
"The only thing that worries me about what Kemi Badenoch is proposing is that she says they can still be recorded in certain circumstances. I don't think they should be recorded at all, ever."
Hitting out at the current operation, O'Neill claimed that the police should not be "keeping logs of things that are not crimes".
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'If Labour were serious about the violence in our towns and cities, they'd back our amendment and fix this,' Badenoch said
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He told GB News: "Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think the police should be keeping logs of things that are not criminal offences, that are not crimes. If we're talking about speech that doesn't cross the threshold of criminal behaviour, it is none of the police's business.
"It's profoundly Orwellian. It goes against all the natural principles of justice, which is that people should be left alone unless they break the law. It goes against all those principles, but it's also profoundly anti-freedom of speech."
In defence of free speech, O'Neill claimed Britons should "be allowed to express themselves" even if what they say is "deeply offensive".
O'Neill told GB News that it is 'profoundly chilling' how the Government crack down on free speech
GB News
O'Neill stated: "People should be allowed to express themselves even if they say offensive things - even, in my view, if they say deeply offensive things, including racist things or misogynistic things. I am such a free speech fundamentalist. I think people should even be free to do that, without having their collars felt by the cops.
"The police are logging elected politicians' speeches as hate offences in their books. That is really, really Stalinist."
Highlighting the impact of non-crime hate incidents on Britons, O'Neill concluded by claiming there is a "sword hanging over the heads of everyone in this country", warning them against free speech.
He concluded: "It could mean that you don't get the job you want or you will have a criminal record in the future. So it hangs as a kind of sword over the heads of everyone in this country, as a warning for them not to say the things you're not supposed to say. It is profoundly chilling."
