Freedom of speech is essential in all societies; we must not let 'The Mob' silence voices they disagree with or tomorrow they will come for you.

Nick Buckley MBE was removed as CEO from the Mancunian Way charity on the 15th June 2020 for stating his personal opinion and daring to criticise Black Lives Matter (the political movement only, not the vast majority of the people marching on the streets to fight racism). 

As a former Trustee of this charity, I supported Nick to create this charity using his own redundancy  in 2011, so the next generation of young people in the most challenging neighbourhoods could be inspired, be successful and achieve. 

Nick has 2 decades of experience working in challenging neighbourhoods, working on the streets in the rain and cold, helping 1000s of young people make positive informed choices that improve their own lives, and has even supported 100s of rough sleepers off the streets, into accommodation and even into employment through the many businesses that support him and his vision. His latest project was supporting homeless children with free books so they could continue their education while living in temporary accommodation or B&Bs miles away from their schools.

People like Nick need to be heard. How are we to improve our society if we do not listen to a wide range of voices, openly discuss problems and potential solutions, and come together to fight for a better tomorrow. We do not have to agree with Nick, but surely someone with 20 years of experience working on the front line, with a handful of awards to his name, must have the right to speak and express his views. 

It only took 400 signatures on an online petition to have Nick removed. Just 400 people can wipe out 2 decades of public service and remove him from a charity he founded. Let's aim for 40K signatures with this petition and show the country that common sense still exists today in the UK. 

We are the silent majority, we need to be heard.