'Incredibly authoritarian!' - Outrage as GCSE textbook teaches pupils to 'use freedom of speech but not to offend'

Outrage has kicked off after a GCSE textbook taught pupils to “use freedom of speech but not to offend”.

Paul Embery, a trade unionist and writer, has condemned a GCSE revision book after he discovered it detailed how a citizen’s “responsibility” is to exercise “freedom of speech but not offend”.

He made the discovery whilst helping his child with some revision for their Citizenship Studies exam - something Mr Embery took particular interest in as it covers politics, government, social issues and democracy.

In a subheading called “Citizen’s responsibilities”, the Pearson Revise book for Citizenship Studies GCSE states that “citizens have certain responsibilities… to use freedom of speech but not offend”.

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Mr Embery said it was “quite chilling” as he read the book, describing the sentiment as “incredibly authoritarian”.

He said, speaking to GB News: “That particular bullet point hit me - it was quite chilling actually.

“Essentially, you are entitled to use freedom of speech, so long as it doesn’t upset anyone.

“I find this incredibly authoritarian - students should not be taught that.”

He further warned that teaching children such positions could mean they might “gag themselves” when it is important they do not, particularly when it concerns their safety.

The trade unionist said: “There will definitely be scenarios where children will think they are going to cause offence and consequently, they might gag themselves.”

He indicated that teaching children such a position might encourage the phenomenon “heckler’s veto”, where a speaker is silenced unilaterally by a party who disagrees with their message.

For Mr Embery, he believed the teaching sends the wrong message, telling GB News: “It says you live in a society where your right to express your views is fettered to someone’s right to be offended.”

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Citizenship Studies is a GCSE introduced on the UK’s syllabus in 2002, exploring political science subjects such as democracy, justice, equality, rights, responsibilities, freedoms, identity and diversity, according to the Department of Education.

In the “subject content” paper published in May 2022, the Department of Education said Citizenship Studies “should enable students to deepen their knowledge of democracy and government, the law, rights and responsibilities and how we live together in society”.

However, the particular phrasing about freedom of speech sparked such outrage within Mr Embery, he took to social media to express his concern.

He wrote on X, alongside a picture of the text in question: "Helping no.2 child with GCSE ‘Citizenship' revision. Get a load of this."

Since he published the post on X yesterday, many have weighed in on the revision book guidance, voicing their views.

Toby Young, Director of the Free Speech Union called for Pearson to reference the famous speech from Lord Justice Sedley on freedom of expression in their book.

Speaking to the People’s Channel, he said: "If children are being taught in school that the right to free speech doesn't include the right to be offensive, God help us.

"I hope in future Pearson's revision guide will include the famous words of Lord Justice Sedley in a landmark free speech case: 'Free speech includes not only the inoffensive, but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and the provocative, provided it does not tend to promote violence. Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having’.”

The speech Mr Young references is from the landmark case, Redmond-Bate v Director of Public Prosecutions in 1999, which affirmed that freedom of speech includes the right to be irritating, provocative and offensive, so long as it does not incite violence.

Also Baroness Claire Fox of Buckley, a non-affiliated peer also weighed in.

Responding to the post, the Baroness wrote on X: “Socialising kids in school to believe that they have the right not to be offended…

“And we wonder why we have a free speech deficit in younger generations. It's (partly) the GCSE curriculum wot done it!”

Adrian Hilton, a conservative academic, specialising in political philosophy and political theology echoed Mr Young’s sentiment, also mentioning Lord Justice Sedley’s famous speech.

He also wrote on X: “A competent teacher of Citizenship would inform their pupils that this is a common misconception.”

One member of the public responded to Mr Emery’s post on X, writing: “Not only is that an oxymoron, but to adhere to the latter you must defang the former.

“Freedom of speech is absolutely the freedom to offend. Schools should not be pushing this as presented.”

GB News has reached out to the Department of Education and Pearson for comment.

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