British lawmaker and leader of the Reform UK party Nigel Farage testified in front of Congress during a hearing on how the online policies of the U.K. and the European Union pose a threat to “American speech and innovation.”
Claiming that the U.K. has “sunk into” an “awful authoritarian situation,” Farage used examples from his homeland to deliver a cautionary tale about free speech to Washington.
“We’ve kind of forgotten the Voltairean principles, that we’ll fight and defend to the death your right to say something that we fundamentally disagree with,” Farage told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, emphasizing this as the “absolute foundation” of free speech.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland criticized Farage in his own opening remarks.
“He should go and advance the positions he’s taking here in Congress today, in Parliament, which is [also] meeting today if he’s serious about it,” said Raskin.
“To the people of the U.K. who think this Putin-loving, free speech impostor and Trump sycophant will protect freedom in your country, come on over to America and see what Trump and MAGA are doing to destroy our freedom… you might think twice before you let Mr. Farage ‘Make Britain Great Again,’” said Raskin, seemingly referencing a 2014 interview during which Farage named Putin when asked which world leader he admired the most.
“He complains that racist threats against immigrants are not protected free speech, while he proposes to strip migrants, tourists, and perhaps even visiting American Congress people, of any free speech rights at all,” Raskin continued.
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During his testimony, Farage paid particular attention to the case of Irish comedian and show writer Graham Linehan, who was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport on Monday under the Public Order Act, on suspicion of inciting violence via social media posts.
“He’s an Irish citizen. This could happen to any American man or woman that goes to Heathrow that has said things online that the British government and British police don’t like,” argued Farage, adding that this could be a “potentially big threat to big tech bosses” and others.
“At what point did we become North Korea? Well, I think the Irish comedy writer found that out two days ago at Heathrow Airport,” the Reform UK Party leader concluded.
Linehan, who is perhaps best known for creating sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd, was arrested over three posts shared on X during which he discussed transgender matters. In an article published the day after his arrest, Linehan said the state “had mobilised five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer.”
Linehan’s arrest has become a global talking point in what is a charged moment regarding free speech and how that relates to the online space.
When asked about the arrest during questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said police “must focus on the most serious issues” such as “tackling issues like anti-social behaviour, knife crime, and violence.”
“We have a long history of free speech in this country. I’m very proud of that and I will always defend it,” he maintained.
Some U.S. lawmakers have also taken a stand against the arrest of Linehan.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California called it an “offense to anyone who supports free speech.”
“I guess [the] U.K. has not learned from the time prosecutors read passages of The Picture of Dorian Gray to convict Oscar Wilde,” argued Rep. Khanna.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley defended the arrest of Linehan, but recognised “the concern caused by such incidents given differing perspectives on the balance between free speech and the risks of inciting violence in the real world,” in a statement shared with TIME on Wednesday.
Rowley said he has provided suggestions to the Home Office on how to better clarify the law that would enable police to “limit the resources we dedicate to tackling online statements to those cases creating real threats in the real world.”
In his address to Congress, Farage also referenced the case of Lucy Connolly, who in October 2024 was sentenced to 31 months in prison for inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing “threatening or abusive” written material via social media. The posts were sent after an incident that saw three girls stabbed to death during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in the North of England in July 2024. (Connolly, who is married to a Conservative councillor, was released from prison in August.)
“We of course had Lucy Connolly, who put out an intemperate tweet after the savage murder of those three beautiful young girls,” said Farage, referencing the high-profile case. Farage went on to say he had “wanted to bring” Lucy with him to show Congress “living proof of what can go wrong” when free speech is under threat.
Connelly’s social media posts called for “mass deportation now” and urged people to “set fire” to hotels housing asylum seekers. In the days following the stabbing incident, riots erupted across the United Kingdom and ethnic minorities were targeted after misinformation spread online that the attacker was a migrant who came to the U.K. illegally.
Farage also used his time in front of Congress to criticize new legislation that he says is soon to be passed by the current U.K. Labour government, which would provide a legal definition of Islamophobia. Farage argued it would “effectively mean the criticism of a religion would become an offense.”
In February, the U.K. government launched a “working group” to provide a definition of anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia.
“The rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society. That’s why we’ve committed to defining Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, as a crucial step forward in tackling it and creating a society where everyone feels safe and welcome,” said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
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Immigration-related matters are an integral aspect of Farage’s proposed policies, with “smart immigration, not mass immigration” listed as a “core pledge” in Reform UK’s manifesto during the U.K. General Election in 2024.
Speaking at a news conference on Aug. 26, Farage suggested Reform UK would be prepared to deport 600,000 migrants over five years, should they be voted into power.
Farage left the Congress hearing early on Wednesday while questions were still being heard, prompting Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida to suggest that he was leaving to have lunch with long-term ally President Donald Trump. Farage declined to confirm his afternoon plans.
The pair have a long-standing relationship. Farage met with the President after his election in 2016, described him as “the most resilient and brave person” he had ever met at a 2020 election rally, and called Trump an “inspiration” during a Reform UK rally in February.
Trump’s influence was heavily felt during local elections across parts of England earlier this year, largely due to the MAGA-inspired rallies hosted by Farage, which featured bright lights, energized crowds, and a strong anti-immigration rhetoric.
According to a recent U.K. opinion poll conducted by YouGov between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 22% of respondents would vote for Reform if an election were to be held the next day, making it the most popular party in the poll.
The post British Lawmaker Nigel Farage Called a ‘Putin-Loving Free Speech Impostor’ and ‘Trump Sycophant’ in Congress appeared first on TIME.
