U.K. scholars and academic bodies publicly urged the prime minister to enact anti‑SLAPP protections after researchers faced libel threats tied to studies of wealthy figures and international ties. An open letter organized by Sense about Science named scholars at Exeter and Oxford who altered or withdrew findings after legal pressure and highlighted England’s permissive defamation environment as a global problem for academic freedom. Across Europe, commentators warned that other forms of speech policing—litigation and lobbying—are eroding campus debate and scholarship. Columnists called out recent institutional capitulations to external pressure, arguing such actions risk normalizing legal and political tactics that chill research and classroom discussion. Researchers and free‑speech advocates said legal reform and institutional policies are needed to shield public‑interest scholarship from strategic litigation and to protect the scholarly process.