SPEAKERS due to address a No to Nato — No to War rally on February 25 have warned that freedom of speech is under threat after the iconic Conway Hall venue was pressed into cancelling the booking.

The event, which was to be addressed by MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, former MPs Chris Williamson and George Galloway and a range of journalists and campaigners, is now seeking a replacement venue.

A letter from the London venue, the home of Britain’s last surviving ethical society, posted by rally organisers on Facebook describes an “unprecedented” backlash against their hosting the event and “an onslaught of increasingly intimidating emails and social media posts … regretfully we have taken the decision that Conway Hall can no longer host your event as we are now unable to ensure the safety of our building and our staff on and offline. As well, the online detractors were actively seeking to contact our funders, partners and hirers.”

Mr Williamson said the hall was the second venue to have succumbed to an “anti-democratic cancel culture” silencing opposition to Nato. He accused “erstwhile liberals” of being complicit in a state crackdown on anti-Establishment views.

“They’ve transmogrified from free speech advocates to supporters of authoritarianism,” he charged.

Conway Hall tweeted only that it had “reviewed this booking, which was a third-party hire of our venue and not part of our programme, and informed the organisers that it will no longer be taking place at Conway Hall,” asking that further enquiries be directed to the event organisers.