US ted cruz

Ted Cruz responded to Joey Barton’s latest conviction with a dramatic meme about the death of free speech in the UK, and the UK spoke as freely as it gets

Oonagh Keating. Updated December 10th, 2025

In case you hadn’t spotted the news, former footballer Joey Barton has been given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, for grossly offensive posts targeting Jeremy Vine, and football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Barton’s posts – which included accusations of paedophilia, as well as sexist and racist tropes – formed a sustained online attack against the three people. The judge was quite scathing in his sentencing.

After far-right agitator End Wokeness shared the clip of the judge, it came to the attention of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who went straight for the visual drama of a headstone to mourn the death of the UK’s free speech.

Ted Cruz @tedcruz 米 R.I.P. Free Speech in the UK 1689-2025 Finally cancelled for wrongthink Survived Cromwell, Hitler, and the Blitz, Couldn't survive a Twitter ratio

Another Grok masterpiece, obviously.

UK tweeters weren’t about to take it lying down. They pointed out that Cruz doesn’t understand the background to the sentencing – and that wasn’t the only issue.

Here’s what people had to say.

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There was also this.

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Joey Barton mocked the Lionesses’ victorious penalty kicks and of all the A++ comebacks this knocked the rest out the park

Image Wikimedia Commons