Speakers’ Corner in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London is, by tradition, an area where public speeches can be made by anyone who has anything they want to say – no matter how eccentric or implausible. The area was set aside for such use in 1872, after Hyde Park itself became a popular centre for public speaking.

Speakers talk to the crowds from a soapbox – an improvised platform once made from wooden packing crates. Individual speakers or representatives of various organisations or special causes deliver their speeches on weekends. Crowds often gather around a speaker, and generally feel free to make comments on the speech or simply to heckle the speaker if they don’t agree with what is being said.

Speakers’ Corner is often seen as a symbol of free speech.