Earlier this month, an employment tribunal judge ruled that “Islam-critical” beliefs are protected in the UK under the Equality Act. The case centres on Twitter posts made by Patrick Lee. The case is ongoing and so Lee has not won his case outright yet, but it is an important victory for free speech.
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During a four-year-long disciplinary process, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (“IFoA”) found Patrick Lee guilty of posting offensive or inflammatory tweets about Islam. The IFoA banned Lee from the professional body and ordered him to pay nearly £23,000 in costs.
However, an employment tribunal judge has ruled that Lee’s “Islam-critical” beliefs are protected under the Equality Act 2010.
Commenting on the Judge’s ruling, Toby Young of Free Speech Union said, “Congratulations to Patrick Lee and his legal team. By persuading Employment tribunal judge David Khan that Patrick Lee’s ‘Islam-critical’ beliefs are protected under the Equality Act, they have won an important victory for free speech.
“After this judgment, how can the Government hope to prohibit ‘Islamophobia’ or ‘anti-Muslim hatred’?”
“Admittedly, he has not yet won outright. In the next stage of the case – which the Free Speech Union is funding – the tribunal will have to decide whether Lee’s manifestation of his protected ‘Islam-critical’ beliefs, i.e. the tweets in which he expressed them, was appropriate. But the judge in the first stage has indicated he thinks they were.
“Another reason for hesitating before declaring victory is that judgments in the employment tribunal do not set binding legal precedents.”
Read more: Right to criticise Islam is protected under British law, judge rules, The Telegraph, 8 November 2025
Introducing its article about the ruling on Monday, the Free Speech Union tweeted:
An employment tribunal judge has ruled that the right to criticise Islam is protected under the Equality Act 2010.
This is a rare glimpse of common sense – but it also reinforces the argument that, whenever the law is confronted with cases involving criticism of Islam, it struggles.
Patrick Lee was expelled from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries after a four-year disciplinary process and was ordered to pay nearly £23,000 in costs.
The IFoA found that dozens of his posts about Islam on X were “offensive or inflammatory,” with many allegedly intended to “demean or insult Muslims.”
While some Muslims may have found his comments offensive, there are – for now – no blasphemy laws in the UK.
Mr. Lee faces a final hearing in February to determine whether his posts constitute a lawful expression of the protected belief that religions, including Islam, can be openly criticised.
You can read Free Speech Union’s article HERE.
Featured image: Patrick Lee has endured a five-year ordeal as a result of the sanction from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Source: The Telegraph
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Categories: Breaking News, UK News