From the UK, a country that has long jailed many of its own people for expressing their opinions, here's the latest:

Named and shamed: the 16 barred from UK - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

The 21st century is already proving to be a century where we are going backwards on fundamental western liberties that many fought so hard and gave so much to achieve in the past. All over the world, every day, we see more and more stories about the visegrip of tyranny closing on people who've done nothing more than peacefully express opinions that are controversial or unpopular with governments or certain pressure groups. You think we'd be going the other way and allowing ever more freedom of speech, conscience, thought, and opinion, but sadly you'd be wrong. Yet, few even seem to connect the dots and realize what's happening. You deny freedom of opinion to anyone who is peacefully expressing it, you deny it to all. Where is all this nonsense going to end? Will there eventually be huge gulags with hundreds of thousands of speech criminals? Its insane.

Here's one more story from the "Cradle of Liberty":

David Cameron urged to sack councillor for lauding Ian Smith - Times Online

who's free speech has been denied?

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"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine

Is this a serious question? You're kidding right?

I suggest this thread become an ongoing thread where people can post links to attacks on freedom of speech by "democratic governments" throughout the world, whether it be outright jailing or imprisonments to the more subtle "political correctness" (firings, forced appologies and resignations, bannings, etc).

people have been barred from entering the country, they're still free to say whatever they want.

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"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine

The point is the growing CLIMATE that says that certain views are forbidden in supposedly democratic countries. Britain, like nearly all European countries (and Canada, Australia, and many other countries) does imprison its own people for expressing certain opinions. Are you denying that? These bans are a symptom of the climate that is growing in the world trying to make us all afraid to say things that aren't cool with the mainstream view of the day. This is the end of democracy for all practical purposes if it keeps getting worse and it seems to be.

When I see actual jailings for speech crimes in "democratic countries" I'll post them here too. The trend is undeniable and getting worse. It started with political correctness in the soft form (social ostracisms, media attacks, forced "appologies", blacklistings, etc) and then led to outright criminalization of viewpoints. Its just a few years behind here in the US due to our Constitution.

i'm not denying anything except for the fact that no one actually had their rights taken away in this instance.

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"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." --Thomas Paine

WE jail people for telling people to go out and kill people. That seems resonable to me; we don't jail for anything more (as the case with Nick Griffen showed) just incitement. Besides, while I don't support bans on free speech generally if society as a whole deems it unacceptable to say something whats wrong with that. They can still say it, but if they do they'll be ridiculed. No restriction on free speech.

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thats called brainwashing.

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"To those who say what must be said; They lead the way for those who will do what must be done."

Capitalism is Democracy, vote with your dollar.

The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession.

I believe there are laws on the books in your country that ban certain speech, certainly there are in most of the continental European countries and in Canada. Just the idea that one could go to jail for an opinion has a chilling effect on free speech even if its never enforced in reality.

Exactly -- just not in England. As long as you live in a country that still has true freedom of speech, no problem!
</sarcasm>

:-)

So these people's right to travel to a country - England - has been taken away because of their expressed opinions. And some folks see no problem with this.

God, I love this world. Variety being the spice.

I wonder if the people compaining about this would also compain in the following scenario:

Person A states that he will do everything in his power to destroy England from within.

England responds by banning said person from entry into the country.

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Is our children learning? -George W. Bush

"I think—tide turning—see, as I remember—I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of—it's easy to see a tide turn—did I say those words?"—Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

I won't speak for others, but I personally believe that as long as it isn't an incitement to violence, it is the very core of free speech to be able to talk about bringing down a country's govt.

That, by my understanding, is the single biggest reason for "free speech". To allow political dissent just like that.

In my personal opinion.

I heard the UK banned savage......nuts ....

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."