A British Tory councilor has launched a petition to make supporting the UK’s membership in the European Union (EU) a treasonable offense.
The petition, posted by Christian Holliday on the UK Government and Parliament website, says a Victorian-era legislation should be amended to include his proposed rule. The petition’s demands include:
“The Treason Felony Act be amended to include the following offences:
To imagine, devise, promote, work, or encourage others, to support UK becoming a member of the European Union;
To conspire with foreign powers to make the UK, or part of the UK, become a member of the EU.”
At the time of the writing, over 330 people had signed the petition. To be heard by the government, Holliday needs at least 10,000 signatures. The number goes up to 100,000 for a debate in the Parliament.
Holliday’s move elicited attacks from his fellow councilors, with Tory councilor Mario Creatura denouncing the petition as “the worst kind of Orwellian censorship.”