Most of the world has been stunned by the news that Graham Linehan, a comedian and writer of British TV programs, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London last Monday for posts on X in which he expressed opposition to transgenderism and men in women’s bathrooms.

While his comments were crass, the fact that Linehan was taken into custody by five armed policemen for publicly sharing his thoughts should alarm everyone who holds dear the most basic freedoms of speech and religion. Sadly, Linehan’s arrest is yet another example of the growing incidents of restrictions on speech and religion in Europe, as FRC detailed earlier this year. In fact, Vice President J.D. Vance presented a stirring speech about this alarming trend in some of his first remarks as second-in-command when he attended the Munich Security Conference in February.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform U.K. party and a member of the British Parliament, was in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday and presented testimony to the House Judiciary Committee about this troubling situation and the severe repercussions caused by their country’s Online Safety Act. He reminded the committee about the history of democracy that the United States and Britain share and how we have fought together to protect our freedoms:

“You’re right to say something that we fundamentally disagree with. That is the absolute foundation, if you think about it, of free speech, of democracy, of living in freedom. It’s kind of why we fought two world wars at massive, massive cost to defend that very principle for ourselves, and for many, many others around the country. And I first became worried about all this with cancel culture. You know, the idea that we can’t have this speaker go to a university because some people might be offended by what he or she [has] to say. It is important to note that there is not a parent in the United Kingdom, and I would guess it’s the same for America too, that is not concerned about content their children as minors can find on the internet. Not a single parent that is not concerned about this. But at the moment, we’re not finding the right solutions.”

He went on to say, “You know I come from the land of Magna Carta. I come from a land that gave us the mother of parliament. And it doesn’t give me any great joy to be sitting in America and describing the really awful authoritarian situation that we have now sunk into. J.D. Vance did us all a service at the Munich Security Conference back in February this year. He really got this debate up and running, and it’s a vital one. … The Online Safety Act was put in place by the last conservative government. I don’t doubt for a minute their good intentions, but sometimes the road to hell is paved with those good intentions. And we are now where we are.”

Finally, Farage brought to light two famous cases which reveal the devasting effects that the so-called Online Safety Act has had on individuals and families in the United Kingdom: Linehan’s case and that of Lucy Connelly. “[Connelly] put out an intemperate tweet after the savage murder of … three beautiful young girls: she, herself, a mother who had lost a child. It was intemperate. It was wrong, but she removed it three and a half hours later. Sentenced to 31 months in prison, she’s now out, having served 40% of the time.”

Farage pointed out that the comedian who was arrested last week, Linehan, isn’t even a British citizen — he’s Irish. Therefore, what happened to him could happen to any American who goes to England and has posted things online that the British government doesn’t like. He cautioned, “This legislation we’ve got will damage trade between our countries, threaten free speech across the West. … So I’ve come today as well to be a claxon to say to you: don’t allow piece by piece this to happen here in America. And you would be doing us and yourselves and all freedom-loving people a favor if your politicians and your businesses said to the British government, ‘You’ve simply got this wrong.’”

Thankfully, contrary to the Biden administration, President Trump recognizes the violations of free speech and religion that have occurred in the United States and Europe over the last several years, and his team is working hard to restore those freedoms.

On Monday, President Trump spoke at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. regarding the primary importance of our First Amendment-protected freedoms of religion and speech, saying, “As president, I will always defend our nation’s glorious heritage, and we will protect the Judeo-Christian principles of our founding, and we will protect them with vigor. We have to bring back religion in America.” He added, “For thousands of years, the Bible has shaped civilization, ethics, art, and literature, and it’s brought hope, healing, and transformation to untold millions and millions of lives.”

One of the most moving examples of why we must continue to defend the freedom of speech and religion was 12-year-old Shane Encinas from California, whom the president introduced during his speech. Encinas told the audience, “I’ve been a Christian my whole life, and Jesus means everything to me. When I was in fifth grade, my school forced me to teach my kindergarten buddy about changing his gender using a book called ‘My Shadow is Pink.’ The book said, ‘You can choose your gender based on feelings instead of how God made us.’ I knew this was not right, but I was afraid of getting in trouble,” he recalled. “After my family spoke up, the school treated us badly, and kids started bullying me and my brother because of our faith. And the school did nothing to stop it. It hurt a lot, but I kept trusting God. I believe kids like me should be able to live our faith at school without being forced to go against what we believe. I hope no other family has to go through what mine did.”

Shane’s story is an example of why Christians must not be complacent in the public sphere just because we currently have a presidential administration that stands up for religious freedom and free speech.

Our battle is always spiritual. We must pray for:

• Spiritual revival in the United States and around the world;
• God to give the nations’ leaders wisdom and discernment;
• Christian parents who will intentionally teach their children a biblical worldview; and
• Children to have the courage to live according to their faith and put on the whole armor of God and stand firm.