he refusal to admit the oddball Dutch MP Geert Wilders to Britain yesterday marks a further retreat from this country's traditions of free speech. It stands in stark contrast to what happened exactly 20 years ago tomorrow, when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa calling for the death of Salman Rushdie for insulting the Prophet Mohammed in his book The Satanic Verses.

In retrospect, that was a turning point in the country's history of free speech, an event that appeared to demonstrate indomitability, yet turned out to be a defeat
... Telegraph

1916-1932: The fight for freedom of speech on Glasgow Green

The history of the successful struggle to restore freedom of speech and assembly in one of Britain's oldest parks after it was banned in 1922.

From what I can tell the near unanimous opposition to this foolish decision, across the political divide in the UK speaks volumes about the healthy attachment to the principles of free speech.