The United States first amendment grants freedom of speech, religion, assembly, petition and press meaning citizens are able to speak freely with no repercussions, unless a threat is being made. England also has a law, but it is different. With the Communications Act implemented in 2003, it put regulations on electronic communication, England’s citizens are limited in what they can say online, according to bbc.com.

If a post, comment or message is harmful in any way to others, excluding government unless a threat, that person is at risk of being charged or arrested. This causes people to avoid saying harmful and crude things to not get commended, but some completely ignore it and speak freely. Oftentimes, this backfires and the ones who say harsh opinions get apprehended, according to lexisnexis.co.uk.

Graham Linehan was arrested after posting on X, “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act” and “if you see them in there, punch them,” which outraged some people. This caused many reactions, including author J.K. Rowling posting, “This is totalitarianism,” in support of Linehan, according to nbcnews.com.

Lucy Connelly was sentenced to 31 months in prison after posting, “set fire to hotels holding asylum seekers.” Recent riots had taken place in the city against immigration, causing Connelly to make the post. Many people had reported it, deeming it a threat to immigrants and citizens, ultimately leading to the arrest, according to nbcnews.com.