The Fine Print: The bizarre world of Speaker’s Corner

By Roxanna Brealey, Senior Sub-Editor, BA History and Politics

George Orwell claimed in 1945 that Speaker’s Corner, which is located just outside Marble Arch tube station, has a ‘large variety of plain lunatics’, and for the most part, it is tough to disagree with him. The average Londoner will often walk past Speaker’s Corner, admire the chaotic atmosphere, and chuckle to themselves as they walk past the flat-earthers and anti-gravity activists, then continue their day like nothing happened. London is full of weird and wonderful people, and Speaker’s Corner is the epitome of this. 

In my past year of living in London, I too ignored the large gatherings of people on Sundays. But, of course, curiosity can get the better of you, and I finally decided that it was time to explore and engage with a core London institution, known as a ‘bastion of absolute freedom of speech’ (Medium). And I have to say, whilst Orwell is right in stating that it is full of ‘plain lunatics’ who have formed their ideas from a bizarre subreddit, a bad interpretation of the bible or a psychedelic experience, the eccentricity and intense belief of some of the orators is somewhat admirable. 

Speaker’s Corner was formally created in 1872 with the passing of the Park Regulations Act, which reserved the area for ‘free speech’ to the point that the onlooking police deemed it permissible.Famous historical speakers include Lenin, Marx, Orwell and SOAS alumni Walter Rodney.  Rodney went there most Sundays during his time in London as he was disappointed with SOAS’s lack of Marxist scholarship and wanted to congregate with other like-minded individuals. Overall, I visited Speaker’s Corner a total of three times and did my best to engage in conversation. 

For the most part, the majority of the orators are religious preachers, often arguing about the co-existence of Christianity and Islam. Many were followed by livestream cameras. (Picture 1)

(Picture 1-Muslim and Christian preachers- Credit: SOAS Spirit)

Over the span of my three visits, I did not actively have to seek out conversations as a lot of the orators (who are not always standing on step ladders) floated around, ready to engage in conversation with unassuming pedestrians. A lot of the people I seemed to bump into were Trump-loving religious preachers, both American and British (bearing in mind two of my visits were before his election victory).

One Christian religious preacher named Orlando approached me and asked if I had ever been here before, and I shook my head. I asked why he was here, and he said something along the lines of wanting to convince people that Trump was the only way America could be saved as he would realign the country with Christian values. Subsequently, I asked, ‘If you love Trump so much, why are you not speaking in America?’ to which he left a somewhat reasonable response. He replied that in Speaker’s Corner, it is a lot safer to express yourself in comparison to America as there is no threat of gun violence, a fair point when considering the utility of an area that is designed for free discourse. This, however, does feel like a slight contradiction: an avid Trump supporter who is afraid of gun violence...? 

(Trump supporting American Credit: SOAS Spirit)

This does not go to say that violence has not been present at Speaker’s Corner in recent years. In 2021, an ex-Muslim preacher named Hatun Tash was stabbed, although she still returns to Speaker’s Corner regularly (note: I did not see her).

This was not the end of the biblical lunacy; it did indeed get progressively worse. Another preacher approached me (picture 3), very American, holding his leather-clad bible. Whilst the focus of the conversation was not Trump, he came in boldly by immediately stating homosexuality was an ‘absolute abomination’, citing the classic Leviticus as his rock-hard evidence. Whilst I would typically try and shut down a conversation like this, I was not there to argue with them. Rather, I was there to ask questions. I asked what he would do if his kids were gay, and he responded, ‘I would rather my kid be a slave owner than a homosexual’. 

(Picture 3-American Christian Preacher-Credit: SOAS Spirit)

Whilst the corner can be deemed as a ‘bastion of absolute freedom of speech’ (Medium), this is a clear example of the type of religious fervour that the police should have intervened on as it breaks a multitude of hate-speech and anti-discrimination laws. It is so far from the old historic Speaker’s Corner, where one would argue for the liberation of the proletariat or women’s right to vote. This is not to say that every speaker in the past was progressive, but if you head to the Speaker’s Corner now in the hopes of being enlightened, you are probably going to the wrong place. 

I am not saying that lunacy has a rightful place in this world, but also arguably the orators at Speaker’s Corner do not have a massive political impact on society as they only represent a fringe group. Excusing slavery is, of course, beyond limits, but there are plenty of speakers who are very entertaining to watch. On all three occasions, a man called Alex prophesied about an imminent total communications blackout, evidenced by a lighting failure in the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, where the Australian and American ring ‘suspiciously’ turned off. He was then hounded by similar questions, ‘What if it was a mistake?’. The idea of it being an electrical mistake did not seem feasible to him, even though this was the same Olympics where they made athletes swim in the Seine, which barely passed its tests for cleanliness. 

Orwell was right in stating that Speaker’s Corner has a ‘large variety of plain lunatics’, but that does not make it any less of a London institution; from my perspective, that makes it more legitimate. Whilst the orator’s views are quite irrelevant and dull-witted, it is better for these views to be released in a secluded corner of Hyde Park rather than voiced in Parliament (although many dull-witted views still persist there). It is an outlet for people who hold fringe views and enjoy arguing about religion. I think it is impressive that it still stands despite the digital age. It is much more entertaining to watch than men in suits reading out hollow and manicured speeches.