Part 3/10:
The reaction to Starmer’s ambivalence has been mixed. Campaigners for free speech view his failure to robustly reject the call for specific protections for religious texts as a worrying sign, fearing it could pave the way for broader limitations on speech and discussion around sensitive topics. Many point to a growing culture of fear in the UK regarding discussions involving Islam, underscoring instances where individuals have faced significant backlash for perceived offenses against Islamic texts or figures, complicating the landscape of open discourse.