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A pro-life grandmother’s recent criminal conviction in the UK proves the point: free speech is on life support in the United Kingdom.

Dr Livia Tossici-Bolt was convicted on Friday of “anti-social behaviour” after peacefully holding up a sign that read,

“Here to talk if you want.”

The pro-life advocate was found guilty of breaching Poole Council’s controversial 2022 Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) in March 2023.

PSPOs are a fiat protecting abortion clinics from being publicly criticised on public land.

The 64-year-old retired clinical scientist was handed a two-year “conditional discharge”.

She was also ordered to pay 20,000 pounds towards the Council’s prosecution costs.

Bureaucrats wanted 65,000 pounds.

Judge Orla Austin — the same judge who convicted UK veteran Adam Smith-Connor for silent prayer last October — reduced that amount only because “she was required to take into account Dr Tossici-Bolt’s ability to pay.”

An added consideration was Tossici-Bolt’s “previous good character”.

Threat of Trauma

While Judge Austin acknowledged the pro-life scientist’s rights, she effectively said the “public safety” law didn’t protect the public’s right to speak freely on public land.

Interfering with those rights was necessary to protect the rights of those wanting an abortion, the judge asserted.

“The (abortion protection) zone,” she said, “is reduced to a small area that it is necessary to protect the rights of those using and/or visiting the clinic.”

In her 11-page summary, Judge Austin split hairs attempting to clarify justifications for punishing the pro-life advocate.

According to her, Dr Tossici-Bolt wasn’t being prosecuted for opposing abortion, she was being prosecuted for breaking laws that protected abortion.

“She was given the opportunity to leave on several occasions but refused to do so,” Judge Austin argued.

Arresting officers, she said, were right to act on their “reasonable belief” that Dr Tossici-Bolt’s peaceful presence was threatening public safety.

This is because “the defendant was within the safe zone, was capable of being seen, and was holding visible signage pointing towards” the abortion mill.

Any pro-life presence outside an abortion mill could easily have been “perceived” by an observer as a protest, Judge Austin continued.

While she noted Tossici-Bolt’s dedication to her “pro-life views and work”, the judge also accused the grandmother of “lacking insight” into how her pro-life views and work could cause trauma.

In this context, Judge Austin concluded, “they could have a detrimental impact upon women attending the clinic, their associates, the staff, and members of the public.”

Judge Austin did not provide evidence to back her accusation.

Neither did she offer proof that Tossici-Bolt’s peaceful offer to talk had traumatised abortion practitioners or traumatised mothers seeking their life-taking services.

An Axe to Grind

Alongside Tossici-Bolt’s conviction, her troubled history with the local Council suggests they had an axe to grind.

Dr Tossici-Bolt challenged the PSPOs through an administrative court in October 2023, arguing that the “safe zones” were undemocratic.

Her constitutional challenge was thrown out.

This was despite new evidence alleging that the PSPOs were put in place “unilaterally by a single councillor.”

LGBTQ+ activist and “equalities” Councillor Bobbie Dove is alleged to have “made the decision” without consultation with the public.

The court played along with the Council, who seemingly dodged answering the allegation.

Instead of defending the decision, Council appeared to deflect the accusation, stating that it was Dr Tossici-Bolt’s job to prove any wrongdoing.

Responding to her conviction,  Tossici-Bolt said, “This is a dark day for Great Britain.

“I was not protesting. Nor did I harass, intimidate, or obstruct anyone.

“All I did was offer consensual conversation in a public space.

“Freedom of expression is in crisis in the UK,” she added.

Dr Tossici-Bolt then said she would fight the censorship, saying her case “has implications for the entire Western world.”

The US State Department agreed.

They said they were watching her case.

On X, the Department expressed concerns about freedom of speech in the UK, and called on authorities “to respect and protect freedom of expression.”

Stepping up to support the pro-life grandmother, 451 people met a 20,000-pound Give Send Go target in under a week.

All additional donations will be used to build a war chest to appeal the ruling.