Freedom of speech is about liberty of life, not liberty of opportunity. Two totally different things.
And why was my colleague fired? Surely his speech was protected?
From the Verge[1]: Section 127 of the Communications Act makes it an offense to send public messages of a “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character,”
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/7/22912054/uk-grossly-offens...
You think that's ok? One of them for reference:
"kill yourself before I do; rape is the last of your worries; I’ve just got out of prison and would happily do more time to see you berried.”
Do I think offensive, nasty, hateful speech is free speech? Absolutely.
Here's an example of one that I think is an egregious violation of the principle of free speech: https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/31/23004339/uk-twitter-user-...
Any absolutist position is a problem. This is fairly balanced and the outcome is proportionate.