Since 1872, people have gathered here to exercise their rights to free speech in all its forms. All are freely expressing and debating their views every Sunday. This is the essence of Speakers Corner, a small area of Hyde Park, London, which was protected by a British Act of Parliament in 1872, to allow people complete freedom of speech in a public place. This is the only such bastion of free speech in the world and stands as a powerful metaphor for global democracy and our future.