Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister)

Master 7th Degree Black Belt & Barrister. Re-posts ≠ endorsements. Blocks trolls.

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

So much fun I did it FOUR times! 🥳
Thank you all so much 😊 🙏

@YouTube
@YouTubeCreators
@TeamYouTube

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@ukhomeoffice A small number? Really?

[Robert Jenrick @RobertJenrick]

I said Great Britain should be proud of our role in abolishing slavery.

Labour MPs didn’t seem to agree.

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@prestonjbyrne Performative nonsense!

[Katie Lam @Katie_Lam_MP]

Thinking of taking a break over Christmas? Or visiting your family?

This Labour government wants to tax you for travelling in your own country.

You'll be taxed for every night that you spend in a hotel, B&B, or caravan. What happened to giving people "breathing space"?

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

The Free Speech Union is deeply troubled by what is happening in the Welsh Parliament.

The freedom of elected representatives to speak is at the heart of our democracy. Those we elect to represent us should be able to voice their constituents’ concerns, however uncomfortable they may be for some to hear.

We stand with @joemartin1066 and every elected representative’s right to speak freely in their Parliament.

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

No one should be making this sort of money from this.

[Daily Mail @DailyMail]

Britain's billionaire 'migrant hotel king' sees firm rake in £3.26m PER DAY putting up asylum seekers https://t.co/JddJOWMaUK

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@QcWynter There must be black cab equivalent of the Chatham House Rule!

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@LeilaniDowding Video coming.. they won't get it so easily...

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@tomhfh I did say there would be scope creep and they won't stop until they force everyone to get an ID.

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

This would be unlawful if those chat records included information seeking legal assistance that attracts legal professional privilege per paragraph 23 of Schedule 36 to the Finance Act 2008.

There's much more to it, so I might film a video on it.

[Alan D Miller @alanvibe]

HMRC to probe taxpayers'
AI chat history in latest crackdown

Tax office set to expand powers to collect conversations on tax calculations

They’re ’very good’ at imposing ever more measures to spy on us all & crush privacy to get ever more taxes, while they are incapable of dealing with the problems we face.

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

Told you.

[Daily Mail @DailyMail]

Trump's £7.5billion defamation case against BBC can proceed, judge rules https://t.co/rkZC0HInPf

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@linmeitalks Crikey - they need to take responsibility, not handed excuses!

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@NoLongerTheFuzz I'd expect at least a dance! 😆

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@GBPolitcs @guardian Utterly ridiculous

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

The Labour Government’s decision to introduce an “anti-Muslim hostility” definition has helped embed a de facto Islamic blasphemy law in British society.

Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008 because they are fundamentally opposed to liberal democratic principles. Labour has brought them back through the back door for Islam alone. Criticism of Islam can now carry serious consequences, including prosecution, ostracism and cancellation.

This blasphemy law has been introduced without Parliament’s approval, yet it is being enforced by the police and courts.

At the Free Speech Union, we are uniquely placed to see the scale of the problem facing the country.

Stephen Gray, an FSU member and former police officer of 27 years, was charged with being “grossly offensive” — an offence under the Communications Act 2003 — for sharing a joke on Facebook mocking the Prophet Muhammad. The image showed a rasher of bacon and a man wearing a turban, alongside the text: “Fun facts about bacon! People who eat bacon have a lower chance of marrying a nine-year-old”. Mr Gray was fined more than £1,000 in fines and costs and now has a criminal record.

The Free Speech Union is supporting Stephen in his appeal, which is due to be heard on 13 November.

Another case is that of Kellie-Jay Keen, the women’s rights campaigner, who was charged under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 over posts on X criticising Islam, Muslim cultural practices and Islamism. @SpeechUnion is also supporting @ThePosieParker.

It is not a crime to criticise a religion. No religion should be shielded from legitimate challenge, debate or criticism in a free society.

Speaking to Hardeep Singh, the Free Speech Union’s Director of Case Management, Dr Ben Jones said that, in the eyes of the state, it is clear that we cannot criticise Islam.

Since Labour came to power in 2024, the number of people seeking help from the Free Speech Union after getting into trouble over comments relating to Islam has risen fourfold. @BenBarryJones said: “We’ve had the state, in the form of the Crown Prosecution Service, attempt to charge a man for causing ‘harassment, alarm or distress’ to what it called ‘the religious institution of Islam’”.

As a result of the “anti-Muslim hostility” definition, the number of cases will inevitably grow.

But the risks facing those who criticise Islam are not limited to prosecution and cancellation. For many, it can be a matter of life and death. Consider the religious studies teacher at Batley Grammar School, who was forced into hiding after showing his class a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad while discussing the massacre of journalists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

A false accusation of blasphemy also cost Samuel Paty, a French schoolteacher, his life.

We must not let an Islamic blasphemy law take root.

Read more below in @TheCriticMag 👇

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

In the House of Lords this afternoon, our General Secretary, Lord Young of Acton, proposed an amendment to the Courts and Tribunals Bill that would mean the right to choose a trial by jury is retained for people accused of speech offences.

These cases often hinge on the interpretation of words like like "insulting", "threatening", "abusive", "harassment", "alarm", "distress", "grossly offensive" and whether something has a tendency to "deprave and corrupt", and the meaning of those words is properly a matter for a jury — of 12 ordinary people — not an 'expert' in the law.

In addition, Lord Young drew their Lordships attention to some FSU research which showed that juries are twice as likely to find defendants accused of speech crimes not guilty as magistrates.

Watch Lord Young below 👇

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@HouseChambers @Barristerblog Indeed - I don't think blaming counsel is going to gain him much ground here.

[PUNKSQUAD @PUNKSQUADcom]

@dshensmith BlackBeltBarrister posted a new YouTube video
Russel Brand Taken To Prison - Sentence Explained
https://t.co/CeQqG8hIi9

[Daniel ShenSmith (BlackBeltBarrister) @dshensmith]

@DanNeidle This really is difficult to believe and supremely disappointing.