Friday, 03 October 2025
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** Free speech tested at party conferences
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Two names have rung through the halls of the Labour Party Conference this week – Nigel Farage, who was given a kicking – and Owen Jones, who was literally kicked out. The Guardian columnist had been vox-popping politicians and delegates for his YouTube channel. His style is confrontational. But did he cross a line? Apparently so. On Tuesday his conference pass was revoked over “safeguarding issues”. He was told: “After careful consideration, we’ve concluded that we cannot continue your attendance while ensuring we meet our safeguarding obligations to all attendees.” Jones has cried foul. He called it “Trumpian behaviour ([link removed]) ” and believes it was because of his “attempt to question Cabinet members and MPs about Britain facilitating Israel’s genocide”.
It was a similar story for Rivkah Brown from Novara Media, who had her pass revoked, safeguarding cited, and asked whether ([link removed]) Labour was “purging journalists it doesn't like”.
Whether their free speech rights were violated or not is hard to tell (of Owen’s behaviour specifically we spoke to some conference attendees who said it was aggressive and others who’ve said it wasn’t). If the safeguarding concerns were genuine then there isn’t much of a story here, for us at least. A free speech defence can’t be used to excuse bad behaviour. But Labour would do well to be open and transparent, to provide details of what specifically they think he did wrong. Otherwise, we’re left to draw the worst conclusions.
Labour is not the only party expunging its conference of critics. Reform and the Conservatives (whose conference starts on Sunday) have banned reporters without explanation. One was Byline Times journalist Adam Bienkov ([link removed]) , who has attended and reported from Conversative Party conferences for years now. Last year the Byline Times published an embarrassing story about Conservative party councillors pretending to be ordinary folk during a televised election campaign event. A year later, Bienkov is suddenly off the invite list.
A reminder – both parties are led by people who position themselves as guardians of free speech. It’s pretty revealing of the vacuity of such claims.
Meanwhile, the Green Party’s conference opens today. A few weeks ago a curious email came into my inbox. It was from an esteemed doctor who was organising a fringe event about medically unnecessary penile circumcision in children. It got cancelled. They’ve also not been given a reason and their suspicion is that it’s to avoid wading into something that might offend Jewish people and Muslims, and attract adverse media publicity as a result.
Party conferences are revenue-raising events yes, and the press are shipped in to capture the hot takes. But conferences are also places where policy is debated and agendas set. Journalists come to ask the tough questions and challenge politicians and even party members on inconsistencies or shortfalls. Fill the marquees with “yes” people and democracy is bound to suffer.
Jemimah Steinfeld
CEO, Index on Censorship
** More from Index
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From Madagascar to the UK: The week in free expression ([link removed])
A round-up of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days ([link removed])
Yemeni journalists caught between Israeli airstrikes and authoritarianism ([link removed])
Survivors of September attack describe fear and face arrest threats from multiple armed groups ([link removed])
Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival: nothing to laugh at ([link removed])
Why are famous comics performing in a country notorious for censoring its own comedians? ([link removed])
Index calls on the UN to investigate systemic abuse in Hong Kong’s prisons ([link removed])
53 civil society organisations issue an urgent appeal to the UN High Commissioner ([link removed])
Index on Censorship seeks new Editor ([link removed])
Index is on the hunt for a new editor to work at the heart of our editorial team ([link removed])
Jimmy Kimmel: No laughing matter ([link removed])
From the USA to India leaders can't take a joke. Comedians are paying the price ([link removed])
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** Banned Books Week UK begins this Sunday
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Banned Books Week UK begins this Sunday! It’s a week to celebrate the books that have been challenged, removed or silenced, and to stand with the people who write, sell and share them.
Join Index on Censorship in honouring the right to read freely and the courage it takes to speak up.
GET INVOLVED ([link removed])
** From Madagascar to the UK: The week in free expression ([link removed])
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** >> UK: ([link removed]) Labour revives ‘backdoor’ data battle with Apple ([link removed])
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** >> MADAGASCAR: ([link removed]) President dissolves government amid youth-led protests ([link removed])
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** >> USA: ([link removed]) Jane Fonda relaunches Committee for the First Amendment ([link removed])
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** >> AFGHANISTAN: ([link removed]) Taliban imposes nationwide communications blackout ([link removed])
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** >> USA: ([link removed]) Judge reinstates over 500 Voice of America journalists and staff ([link removed])
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** >> SINGAPORE: ([link removed]) Exiled HK pro-democracy activist denied entry despite visa ([link removed])
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** >> USA: ([link removed]) Journalist Mario Guevara, imprisoned by Ice for 100 days, to be deported ([link removed])
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** Flashback
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Enemies of free speech ([link removed])
by Kenan Malik ([link removed])
Volume 41, Issue 1 ([link removed])
This past Tuesday, 30 September, marked twenty years since Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, sparking widespread protests around the world. By September 2006, some protests turned violent and Jyllands-Posten received multiple bomb and death threats.
Twenty years on, we revisit a reflective piece by Kenan Malik on how, in his own words “both sides in this debate about Islam have hijacked the issue of free speech, bending and distorting the concept of liberty until it has become almost meaningless.” Read the story here. ([link removed])
** Support our work
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The world is becoming more authoritarian and our work calling out human rights abuses and promoting freedom of expression in countries such as the UK, USA, and Saudi Arabia has never been more important.
By supporting Index on Censorship today, you can help us in our work with censored artists, jailed musicians, journalists under threat and dissidents facing torture or worse.
Please donate today ([link removed])
Photos by: (Labour Part Conference 2025) Milo Chandler / Alamy; (Jyllands-Posten) Niels Quist / Alamy
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