Outspoken Former Footballer Joey Barton ‘Cancelled’ From ‘Free Speech’ Event After Legal Issues

An event held to discuss cancel culture featuring self-styled “free-speech advocate” Joey Barton saw his appearance cancelled, Byline Times can reveal.

The evening of “conversations, discussions and Q&A”, hosted by right-wing broadcaster David Vance and featuring political activist Laurence Fox, had been due to feature the outspoken former footballer.

But after Barton was charged with malicious communications four days before the event was due to take place, having previously agreed a month earlier to pay BBC presenter Jeremy Vine £75,000 in damages for making defamatory comments on social media, he was mysteriously dropped from the event’s line-up.

Instead it went ahead with Fox, 46, in front of an audience of around 20 guests in a shabby function room in Hammersmith, West London.

Barton and Vance did not respond to requests for comment.

A source told Byline Times: “Barton used to play football in front of 50,000-plus people and what he said once had relevance – it’s tragic to see what he’s been reduced to.”

Barton has courted controversy on X [formerly Twitter] since he was sacked last October as manager of the League One side Bristol Rovers after almost three years in charge, following a run of poor results.

The 41-year-old has been particularly outspoken about female football pundits, including former England player Eni Aluko, finding supporters among the right-wing, “free speech” community.

Such supporters include former GB News presenter and Reclaim Party leader Fox, and Vance, who has appeared on Barton’s “Common Sense” podcast.

Advertising Barton as a special guest at the 26 July event on his website, Vance said: “Joey Barton and Laurence Fox share many of the same qualities. They speak as they find, they are courageous and independent minded.”

Suggesting it was the perfect pre-event to a Tommy Robinson rally which took place in London a day later, on July 27, and saw speakers denounce immigration and multiculturalism as well as the Covid vaccines, Vance added on “free speech” podcast Hearts of Oak: “[Fox and Barton] speak from the heart and that’s got them into trouble. Maybe Keir Starmer will ban the event.”

With Vance potentially concerned with facing a counter-protest, he said the exact location of the event would only be disclosed to ticket holders shortly beforehand.

However, the line-up was subsequently changed and, according to a post on Vance’s website on 23 July, two days after Barton announced he was being charged, it had become “an evening with Lawrence Fox and Friends” – minus Barton. 

The same day, Vance posted a podcast in which he supported the former footballer and said: “We had hoped to get together this Friday in London but other circumstances got in the way, not least the court case [Barton] had with Jeremy Vine.”

Discussing Barton’s charge for malicious communications, Vance said: “It’s so pathetic. The language he used against her was tough, but entirely reasonable.

“How the hell is that malicious communications? Have (the) police nothing better to do…trying to persecute Joey Barton?

“I stand 100% with Joey Barton on this. He’s being singled out for the treatment. This is what the British Establishment does.”

According to Barton’s Instagram account, the former footballer spent some of last week on holiday in Crete with his wife, Georgia. 

Posting on his X account on 21 July, Barton said he had been charged over tweets relating to Aluko. 

He tweeted to his 2.8 million followers: “I’m up next month … for ‘malicious communications’ charge at Warrington Mag (sic) for Eni Aluko tweets.

“Crazy times we’re living in. Haven’t the police got enough on their hands? British system is becoming a Banana Republic. 

“Lawfare used against its own citizens for having a dissenting voice. Not quite North Korea yet but won’t be long. Viva La Revolution.”

On 24 July, Barton described himself in a pinned tweet on X as a “freedom of speech ADVOCATE”.

The tweets are believed to have been posted during Aluko’s commentary on an FA Cup match broadcast by the BBC in January.

In a statement on its website, Cheshire police confirmed Barton has been summoned to court to face charges of malicious communications.

“Following an investigation by Cheshire police, the Crown Prosecution Service has since authorised the charges for Joseph Barton. The 41-year-old will appear at Warrington magistrates court on Tuesday 30 July.

“The charges relate to reports of alleged malicious communications online, between Monday 1 January and Thursday 18 January.”

If convicted, the offence carries a maximum penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.