Before Tom has his say, I just want to add a little of mine.
I, along with many people I know, have been labelled a radical lefty and an extremist merely for standing up for vulnerable people and exposing lies and ignorance. It takes a very special person to not be impacted by those who smash away on their keyboards throwing insults when all many of them have is a fear of facts and bad literacy. I never use ad hominem as many of them do. I just believe that the greatest British value is to create a caring community, not a hostile environment.
If that makes me a far-left extremist, then so be it.
Now over to Tom.
British satirist Tom Walker, best known for his ranting persona, the fictitious newsreader Jonathan Pie, has issued a stark warning that the UK must be vigilant in protecting free speech as public debate on both sides of the Atlantic becomes “more and more toxic.”
Walker’s comments come in the wake of US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel being taken off air, a move many attribute to his criticism of Donald Trump following the death of commentator Charlie Kirk.
Speaking to the corporate media Walker expressed concern that the environment for satirists in America has become dangerously restrictive under the Trump administration, which he believes is “cracking down on those who speak out against him.”
“I genuinely don’t think I would be allowed into the country,” Walker stated. “That might sound dramatic, but they go through your social media posts. I think Trump thinks that not agreeing with him is anti-American, whereas it’s not, it’s anti-Trump, it’s anti-Republican. So a lot of my posts would be seen as anti-American.”
Walker, who rose to fame in 2016 with a viral clip of Jonathan Pie blaming “the left” for Trump’s election victory, argued that left-leaning individuals have “lost the art” of engaging with those who hold different opinions. He urged them to “stop thinking everyone who disagrees with you is evil, racist or sexist or stupid.”
When asked if he believed comedians like Kimmel were partly responsible for the rise of populist leaders like Trump, Walker disagreed.
“No, I don’t… Most of these late-night hosts are left-leaning and Trump is an own goal for satire,” he said. “I don’t think there was much that Jimmy Kimmel said in his monologue the other day that was anywhere near as divisive as the rhetoric coming from Donald Trump or (vice president) JD Vance, so there is an inherent hypocrisy there.”
However, Walker was keen to stress that the threat to free speech is not solely coming from one side of the political spectrum. Identifying as left-wing himself, he argued that his own side has “enabled a culture where people don’t feel that they’re able to express their views.”
“The left-wing were the flag-bearers of cancel culture. And now it’s sort of coming back to bite us in a terrifying way,” he added.
The discussion is particularly pertinent given recent events in the US media landscape. Kimmel’s suspension follows the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show, which fans also linked to his anti-Trump commentary. Furthermore, President Trump himself appeared to encourage NBC to cancel the shows of Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers in a recent social media post.
On whether the UK should fear a similar targeting of free speech, Walker advised caution. “I think that there are issues of free speech in this country. I don’t think it is quite as bad as what’s happening in America, but we have to be careful.”
He concluded with a warning about the nature of modern debate: “The debate on both sides of the Atlantic is becoming more and more toxic, I think. And it’s divide and conquer. ‘You’re either with me or you’re against me’. And I think both sides have to take some responsibility for that.”
Walker pointed to the reaction to his own satirical video, “The Death Of Discourse,” which was attacked from both the left and the right, as a prime example of the problem.
“I think that’s the problem… We have forgotten how to talk and listen to people that we fundamentally disagree with.”
Now please spend some quality time here:
