Nik Williams
Glasgow
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Policy geek at @IndexCensorship and co-chair at @FerretScot. Loves dinos, Joan Didion & My Bloody Valentine. Tweets & RTs are my own. he/him
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Articles by Nik Williams
A courageous Thai journalist and advocate for marginalised communities
It was in Vienna last year that I last saw Thai advocate and journalist Chutima Sidasathian who died last weeked at the age of 44. I was in town for a conference; she was there for medical treatment. Amidst the clink of teaspoons against crockery and the ordering of decadent Viennese cakes, I sat with Chutima alongside colleagues from Media Defence as she talked about her treatment for pancreatic cancer and the criminal charges which still hung over her head.
Index seeks events and partnerships manager
Index on Censorship is seeking an organised, creative and proactive Events & Partnerships Manager to lead the delivery of our public events programme, support our membership community and help maintain strong relationships with partners, funders and supporters. This is a practical, outward-facing role for someone who enjoys making things happen.
After more than three years, Penrith resident sees off legal action aimed at his local campaign
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the dropping of the legal action against Jeff Thomson brought in response to his public interest local campaigning. However, the absence of any accessible protections has allowed this to last for over three years, casting a long shadow over his retirement.
Two Private Members’ Bills in both houses place Anti-SLAPP reform firmly on the parliamentary agenda
In a coordinated move across parliament, the Rt. Hon. Baroness Stowell and the Rt. Hon. Sir John Whittingdale MP will introduce parallel anti-SLAPP Private Members’ Bills within 24 hours On 16 June 2026, the Rt. Hon. Baroness Stowell of Beeston and, on the following day, the Rt. Hon. Sir John Whittingdale MP will both introduce anti-SLAPP Private Members’ Bills in the Lords and the Commons respectively.
Yet again, anti-SLAPP provisions are missing from the King’s Speech. We all stand to lose out.
“We are deeply disappointed by the lack of any legislative commitment to address SLAPPs in today’s King’s Speech. This omission effectively means efforts to tackle this issue remain stalled, despite previous commitments by Government officials to the contrary, and crucially leaves too many people vulnerable to being silenced for speaking out in the public interest.
Over 100 peers call on the Government to back anti-SLAPP protections
Photo credit: House of Lords / Photography by Roger Harris (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Published today, a letter was sent to the Prime Minister signed by 111 members of the House of Lords calling on the government to include anti-SLAPP provisions in the forthcoming King’s Speech. Signed by peers from all parties, as well as cross-benchers, the message was clear. According to the letter “SLAPPs are a profound abuse of our legal system.
The UK makes it big in Europe – Three UK cases shortlisted in the European SLAPP Contest
Every year the European SLAPP Contest, run by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) aims to bring attention to the abusive legal threats targeting public interest speech all across Europe. The award highlights: “The huge personal and financial risk faced by SLAPP targets can not only prevent them from doing this important work but also acts as a warning to anyone else thinking of challenging abuses of power.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition stands in solidarity with The Londoner against a legal action, which involved threats of imprisonment
Today in the High Court, The Londoner, which is part of Mill Media, is seeking to dismiss a legal action brought against them and their journalist by businessman Claudio Di Giovanni, a subject of their reporting. The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition stands in solidarity with them and their public interest journalism and reiterates our calls for legal protections that would ensure other local outlets do not face the same fate as The Londoner.
Hear from the voices they tried to silence – Day of Action
This is a version of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition newsletter sent out earlier on 15 April as part of the Day of Action. If you would like to receive the newsletter add your details to the form at the bottom of this page. The King’s Speech is early next month. This is when we will know what the Government is prioritising for the next parliamentary session.
The first ‘statutory SLAPP’ only underscores the need for universal anti-SLAPP protections in law
On 11 March 2026, Mrs Justice Collins Rice published her judgment in the application brought by tax transparency expert and lawyer, Dan Neidle to challenge the legal threat brought against him, and Tax Policy Associates, by barrister Setu Kamal. Neidle’s application is the first known use of the anti-SLAPP provisions contained in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) to strike out SLAPPs brought against reporting on economic crime.
The rise in murders, attacks, and harassment of journalists in Europe
“Despite everything, I continue my journalistic work with the same passion and determination as ever. Yet I must admit that I have never felt more exposed or vulnerable.” These are the words of Italian investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci after he was targeted with a car bomb at his home near Rome. While no one was harmed, the assassination attempt was a loud and explosive example of the threats still facing journalists across Europe.
Support increases for anti-SLAPP protections being included in the King’s Speech
On 28 January, a letter, coordinated by the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, was sent to Sir Keir Starmer calling for universal anti-SLAPP provisions to be included in the forthcoming King’s Speech, which is expected to take place in May 2026. It was signed by 127 editors, lawyers, academics, journalists, publishers and civil society representatives. Since then, 39 more individuals, listed below, have also added their names to the list of signatories, which has been shared with the Government today.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition monitors Dan Neidle's test of the UK’s only existing anti-SLAPP protections
Today in the Royal Court of Justice, tax transparency expert and lawyer, Dan Neidle challenged the legal threat brought against him and Tax Policy Associates in the first test of the UK’s only anti-SLAPP provisions included in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), passed in 2023.
Over 120 editors, lawyers, academics, journalists, publishers and civil society representatives call on the Government to give parliamentary time to stamp out SLAPPs. - UK Anti-Slapp Coalition
On 28 January 2026, marking the 5th anniversary of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, 127 representatives from a wide cross section of society co-signed an open letter sent to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joining the Coalition’s call for anti-SLAPP provisions to be included in the next King’s Speech, expected in May.
By threatening to sue the BBC, President Trump’s use of legal threats to stifle protected speech has gone global
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0) The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition condemns the legal threat brought against the BBC by the US President, Donald Trump. We call on everyone who values an independent press to support the public service broadcaster in its defence against a foreign world leader known to use the courts to shut down criticism and public interest reporting.
Recognition of SLAPPs in new UK Anti-Corruption Strategy is welcome but underscores urgency for universal anti-SLAPP law
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the inclusion of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in the UK Government’s new anti-corruption strategy, which launched today, but repeats calls for a universal anti-SLAPP law.
"Scottish Government agrees that the law should be reformed to address SLAPPs": Response to public consultation published
Crucially, the report includes an agreement from the Scottish Government: “that the law should be reformed to address SLAPPs and would intend to do so at the next legislative opportunity.” Here is a statement from the Scottish Anti-SLAPP Working Group in response to the report and what it means for the anti-SLAPP movement in Scotland: The Scottish Anti-SLAPP Working Group welcomes the acknowledgement by the Scottish Government that Scots Law “should be reformed to address SLAPPs”.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition stands in solidarity with Dan Neidle as he uses the UK’s only anti-SLAPP protections to challenge a legal action brought against him. - UK Anti-Slapp Coalition
On 20 October 2025, tax expert and lawyer, Dan Neidle filed an application to have a legal action against him thrown out in a landmark test of the anti-SLAPP provisions in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA). The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition has been deeply concerned by the structural flaws in these provisions, and welcomes this opportunity to see them tested in a case that demonstrably merits their protection.
A new report exposes how the legal system is being weaponised to silence survivors of sexual and gender-based violence
A new report, From Survivor to Defendant: How the law is being weaponised to silence victims of sexual violence by coalition co-chair Index on Censorship reveals how survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the UK and Ireland are being silenced through abusive legal actions known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). Since 2017, the #MeToo movement has encouraged millions of women to share their experiences of SGBV. But speaking out has not come without risks.
The Noel Clarke judgment was a victory for the freedom of the press – but it should also act as a warning
Noel Clarke at the Royal Courts of Justice during his legal action against Guardian News and Media, London, 27 March 2025. Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock The high court’s ruling in favour of the Guardian struck a powerful blow for the free press and for holding those accused of sexual misconduct to account.
The Noel Clarke judgment was a victory for the freedom of the press – but it should also act as a warning
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The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the judgment in the legal action brought against The Guardian by Noel Clarke
Photo: David Levene/The Guardian The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the High Court’s judgement that found in favour of The Guardian in relation to the legal action brought by the actor, producer and filmmaker, Noel Clarke. This is an important judgment in favour of public interest journalism.
Statement in support of journalist and human rights defender, Abdalle Mumin, who is facing legal intimidation in the UK
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition expresses its deep concern over the legal intimidation targeting human rights defender and journalist, Abdalle Mumin. Mumin has been subject to legal communication from UK-based law firm Taylor Hampton, acting on behalf of Premier Bank, a major bank in Somalia.
Land of the litigious bullies
Vexatious lawsuits are increasingly being used by the wealthy and powerful in the USA to stifle criticism. NIK WILLIAMS explores how progress to stamp them out is slow “A NEW BREED OF lawsuits is stalking America”. This is the first line in SLAPPs: Getting Sued for Speaking Out, a book written almost 30 years ago by the academics Penelope Canan and George W Pring. Together they established the term strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP).
Prominent UK SLAPP by a cosmetic surgery clinic aimed at former patients and a patient advocate wins big at the 2025 European SLAPP Contest
The legal actions brought by Signature Clinic against former patients and a patient advocate was awarded the Farcical Threat of the Year at the European SLAPP Contest. The annual contest, organised by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), seeks to raise public awareness of the threats of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to European democracy, highlight SLAPP tactics and demonstrate how we must work to stamp out such abusive legal threats aimed at protected speech.
Questions Unanswered, Concerns Remain: The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition calls for clarity and transparency from the SRA
On behalf of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, the co-chairs wrote to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) seeking answers to a number of outstanding questions regarding its decision-making process as it relates to SLAPPs. This follows media and public attention arising from its decision to discontinue a complaint brought by Eliot Higgins against the law firm, Discreet Law.
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Seating is limited. Register today and bring a friend for free. Do your buyers schedule meetings but cancel at the last minute, show up late, or, worse, ghost you entirely? Do your buyers lack commitment, hide their true concerns, and make it hard to understand what they value? Do your buyers always seem to focus on price, seek multiple quotes, and expect free advice without intending to buy?
UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition criticises the SRA’s closure of Higgins’ SLAPP complaint and points to need for universal SLAPP protections
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition is highly critical of the decision by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to close the complaint brought by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins against Discreet Law, the firm that represented Russian warlord Yevgeny Prizoghin, without any further action.
Meta’s shifting goalposts, new tools of censorship: Will 2025 be India’s year of jeopardy?
Modi’s vision of a restrained online space in India had a busy but not wholly satisfying 2024. The latest version of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill vanished from sight after content creators vociferously pushed back. The Digital India Bill, which aimed to wrestle control from Silicon Valley, similarly could not be saved from a similar fate after Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the former minister of state for information technology, lost his seat.
Index launches year-end banned books competition
It’s that time of the year again when the team at Index on Censorship brings a little light into a dark world. This year, we have delved into the mind of author Marc Nash to come up with our banned books holiday quiz. He has taken the titles of 20 books that have been banned around the world and created fiendish cryptic clues to each of the titles. Some clues are easy but others are tougher and you might need a clue from the fake book covers we have created to go with them.
Spiked stories revealed under parliamentary privilege
The spike haunts journalism. For every journalist in the country, legal threats are a persistent concern that can kill stories dead. Stories that are never published leave no imprint on society around them; while the journalist and their editors know of their existence, their readers and society at large are oblivious. We may know that stories are spiked but their true nature, what has been expunged from the public record, is unknown.
Silenced Stories: Documenting the impact of legal harassment
Yesterday, MPs from different political parties stood up in the House of Commons to describe press reports from media outlets across the country. What made this moment unique was that each story had never been published. The reason? Legal threats prevented them entering the public domain. Yesterday’s Backbench Business Committee debate was sponsored by Labour MP, Lloyd Hatton, to highlight the lasting impact of abusive legal threats on the public’s right to know.
India is doing its best to control online speech. Here’s why you should be worried
“But in a democracy, it is not necessary that everyone should sing the same song.” This comes from a 1996 Bombay High Court judgement in response to Doordarshan refusing to broadcast In Memory of Friends, a documentary by Anand Patwardhan about the violence and turmoil in the state of Punjab. But the speech environment in India has changed significantly since then. Technology has transformed how people can express themselves and source information.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested: two sides to every story
Many things can be true at the same time. Telegram is used by dissidents, including those in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, to get information out of severely restrained information environments. It is used to share child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), trade in drugs, weapons and other illicit materials, and coordinate riots and the transmission of weaponised disinformation.
India’s broadcasting bill is an exercise in state control
The writer is policy and campaigns officer at Index on Censorship Policymakers’ favourite metaphor for online spaces is the “wild west”,...
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition response to the 2024 King's Speech
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition is disappointed that an anti-SLAPP Law was not included in yesterday’s King’s Speech, especially considering the cross-party support for reform and the progress already made towards this vital issue. Now that the Labour Party is in the position to bring forward protections for free expression they must not shrink from the challenge.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the new Government and calls on them to finish the work stamping out SLAPPs
Photo Credit: Number 10 Following the UK General Election on 4 July 2024, the co-chairs of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition have today written to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Justice, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Foreign Secretary welcoming them to Government and calling on them to bring forward a robust standalone Anti-SLAPP Law.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition expresses support for Greenpeace as they face legal action from Shell
Photo credit: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Greenpeace The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition expresses its support for Greenpeace as it faces a legal action claiming more than three quarters of a million pounds in damages as a result of their peaceful protest against the activities of the multinational oil and gas company, Shell. Shell is currently suing Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International for approximately $1 million dollars (£800,000) pounds in London.
Committee stage misses key opportunity to resolve remaining flaws in SLAPPs Bill, leaving the effectiveness of UK's potential anti-SLAPP law uncertain - UK Anti-Slapp Coalition
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition remains seriously concerned about the viability of the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill (SLAPP Bill), after key opportunities were missed to strengthen the Bill during the House of Commons committee stage that took place yesterday, Wednesday 8 May. Vital changes to the SLAPP Bill, tabled by Wayne David MP and backed by the Government, have partially addressed the concerns raised by the Coalition and others.
Leading experts call for the Anti-SLAPP Bill to be amended to ensure it can protect everyone speaking out in the public interest
Over sixty editors, journalists, writers, publishers, academics, and experts have written to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk KC MP calling on the Government to support amendments to the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill. Signatories include the editors of DMG Media, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times and The Sunday Times, Private Eye, and The Economist. To read the full letter click here or see below.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition expresses concern at defamation action threatened by Gerry Adams’ solicitor
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition expresses concern at the defamation action that has been threatened against Matthew Jury, a solicitor at McCue Jury & Partners LLP, in relation to a press release issued by his law firm earlier this year. The press release followed a judgment in an ongoing civil claim being taken by Jury’s clients against the former Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition calls for the Anti-SLAPP PMB to be amended to ensure it protects everyone speaking out in the public interest.
On Thursday 15 February 2024, the Anti-SLAPP Private Members’ Bill (PMB) brought forward by Wayne David MP was published ahead of the Bill’s second reading on Friday 23 February. The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition is disappointed that the shortcomings found in the Anti-SLAPP provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) have been reproduced almost word-for-word in the Bill. As drafted, the Bill fails to establish meaningful protections for SLAPP targets.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes Wayne David MP’s Anti-SLAPP Bill
Today, Wayne David MP will present the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill, his Private Members’ Bill, to the Houses of Parliament. This is a crucial milestone for the UK to stamp out all SLAPPs targeting public interest reporting. Irrespective of the identity of the public watchdog or the issues they are covering, a standalone bill is necessary to ensure that abusive legal threats and actions cannot continue to stifle free speech.
Anti-SLAPP campaigners from across Europe stand in solidarity with the Russian dissident authors after an injunction was secured against their publisher in Germany. - UK Anti-Slapp Coalition
Photo credit: New America On 8 December 2023, Hachette Book Group will appeal an injunction brought in response to the publication of the book, The Compatriots: The Brutal and Chaotic History of Russia’s Exiles, Émigrés and Agents Abroad written by dissident journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan. Soldatov and Borogan are Russian investigative journalists who co-founded and edit the Agentura.Ru website.
A landmark moment - but we can’t stop here
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the passage of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECB2), which includes the first anti-SLAPP provision in UK law. While this is undoubtedly a landmark moment, it is limited to those speaking out on economic crime.
Over 60 editors, journalists, writers, publishers and experts call on the UK Government to commit to a standalone anti-SLAPP law in the King’s Speech
Photo credit: Copyright House of Lords 2022 / Photography by Annabel Moeller (Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Over 60 editors, journalists, writers, publishers, academics and experts, including the CEOs of ITN and Pan Macmillan, as well as the editors of The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times, the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Private Eye, Tortoise and The Mirror have written to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk KC MP to request that a standalone anti-SLAPP Bill is...
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the establishment of UK Government SLAPPs Taskforce
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes the establishment of a UK Government led taskforce on Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPPs), as announced this week by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer. The aim of the taskforce is to explore non-legislative measures to address SLAPPs. Several members of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition have been invited to be part of the taskforce, which will sit under the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists.
UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition submitted evidence to the Council of Europe
On 2 August 2023, the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition submitted evidence in response to the public consultation on the draft text of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Countering Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Belarusian prisoners’ letters shine light on life in Lukashenka’s jails
It's been two years since the people of Belarus went to the polls. The entrenchment of the Lukashenka regime had made elections a dangerous time for civil society and anyone brave enough to stand as an opposition candidate. But despite state repression, a militarised and unaccountable security force, and a skewed electoral landscape, Alyaksandr Lukashenka's grip on power looked weak in August 2020. Until it didn't. Officially, Lukashenka won a landslide victory, securing 80.23% of the vote.
Europe’s growing trail of lawsuits threaten to stifle journalism
Nik Williams is the journalist protection advisor for the Coalition for Women in Journalism and a reader director for the Ferret. He coordinated the inaugural year of the Media Freedom Rapid Response at European Centre for Press and Media Freedom. In Lithuanian, the term “hot feet,” or karštos pėdos, originates from an era in which detectives used to track people down by following their footprints, tracing hot trails to obtain any information a person of interest may hold.
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