Across the United Kingdom, law-abiding citizens are being fined, arrested, and even criminally convicted for peaceful acts of expression on public streets.
This reality is brought on by an expanding regime of restrictions on speech – including so-called “buffer zones,” or more accurately, censorship zones – where freedom of expression is being shut down in the name of protecting abortion access.
Our clients are living proof of this. And we are standing with them, defending their right to speak freely.
On 4 April 2025, Livia Tossici-Bolt was convicted simply for offering consensual conversation near an abortion facility in Bournemouth. She held a sign that read, “Here to talk if you want,” near the facility’s “buffer zone.” For this, she was handed a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,000 in prosecution costs.
And she is not alone. On 16 October 2024, Adam Smith-Connor received the same sentence – a conditional discharge and £9,000 in costs – for doing nothing more than praying silently outside an abortion facility, also in Bournemouth.
With our legal support, Livia and Adam are appealing their convictions and will appear in court on 10 December for an administrative hearing, during which the dates of the appeal hearing will be set.
These are peaceful people, criminalised for conscience.
Online, things are no better. In Scotland, people like Sara Spencer are being censored and punished simply for expressing faith-based or pro-life views. Sara was suspended from her university and subjected to a fitness-to-practise investigation because of pro-life comments she made on a private midwifery Facebook group.
With support from our team, Sara is now seeking acknowledgement of the rights to both conscientious objection and freedom of expression, as well as assurances that she and other students and professionals who express pro-life views will not be discriminated against in the future.
This creeping intolerance toward dissenting voices is not confined to the UK. Across Europe, vague “hate speech” laws are being used to target Christians, and the world is witnessing the institutionalisation of censorship with laws like the EU Digital Services Act leading the way.
Finnish Parliamentarian, Päivi Räsänen, continues to be criminally prosecuted for expressing her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality in a 2019 tweet and a 2004 church booklet. She was charged with “hate speech” and, despite two unanimous acquittals, Päivi has endured over six years of criminal proceedings.
The landmark case was heard at the Supreme Court of Finland on 30 October 2025, following the state prosecutor’s appeal. We have been coordinating Päivi’s legal defence, standing with her every step of the way.
What happens next in all of these cases will send a powerful message about whether free speech still has a place in Western society.
By standing with us today, you help defend a principle that safeguards every free society.
Will you help us reach our year-end goal of £400,000 and stand with those punished for speaking the truth?
Every gift, large or small, will help defend freedom of speech in courtrooms, in Parliament, and in the public square.
Your donation will go directly towards: - Defending individuals like Livia, Adam, and Päivi as they face censorship and injustice
- Expanding our legal and advocacy work to challenge censorship laws
- Ensuring that the right to express faith and conscience is protected for future generations
Britain’s proud tradition of free expression is worth defending, but we can’t do it without you.
Please make your most generous gift before 31 December to ensure that freedom of speech does not become a relic of the past.
| 
.jpeg)