Manchester Speakeasy

HOW TO STAND UP FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

DATE: Saturday 3rd February, 2024

TIME: Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Live music from Sean Corby and Jonathan Enright at 7pm, panel with Q & A starts 7.30pm, social from 9pm. Ends 10pm. (Bar is card-only).

VENUE: The Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street, Manchester, M1 5BY.

TICKETS: £5 for FSU members, £8 for non-members, £3 for students.

SPEAKERS:

Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union.

Denise Fahmy, co-director of Freedom in the Arts (FITA).

Sean Corby, musician, advocate for anti-racism and diversity of thought.

Join the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union, Toby Young, for an evening of conversation, debate, socialising and music.

Toby will be speaking to two heroes of the battle for free speech, Denise Fahmy and Sean Corby. Both were supported by the Free Speech Union when they courageously challenged their employers, proving in Employment Tribunals that views which challenge gender ideology and critical race theory are worthy of respect. By making a stand in defence of their beliefs they have succeeded in establishing in law that diversity of thought and freedom of speech must be protected in the workplace.

Sean is also a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble, Gregory Isaacs, Manic St Preachers, Mica Paris, and Jazz Warriors. We are delighted that he has agreed to play a short set from his repertoire with fellow musician, Jonathan Enright.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Toby Young is the general secretary of the Free Speech Union, a non-partisan, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. He co-founded the West London Free School and is the author of four books, the best known of which is How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2001). He is an associate editor of the Spectator, where he’s written a weekly column since 1998. He also runs a blog called DailySceptic.org that has received over 40 million page views.

Denise Fahmy has 30 years’ experience in arts administration and development. She specialises in visual arts and for the past 15 years worked for Arts Council England as a Relationship Manager in the North of England. Denise worked at the Arts Council for more than 15 years and was the relationship manager for visual arts in the North of England. But she was subjected to harassment by fellow employees when she expressed gender critical beliefs in the context of a workplace meeting. The campaign against her culminated in a petition on the organisation’s online noticeboard in which her views were compared to racism and likened to a “cancer”. In June 2023, Leeds Employment Tribunal found that the Arts Council had not adequately protected Denise from harassment. Her successful claim followed the precedent set by the 2021 court victory of Maya Forstater, which established that the belief that there are two sexes is protected under the Equality Act 2010. The decision is here and Denise explains what happened to her here.

Sean Corby is a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble, Gregory Isaacs, Manic St Preachers, Mica Paris, and Jazz Warriors. Sean also worked as a conciliator for ACAS, but, after he posted articles and quotes on the staff intranet which challenged what he saw as the divisive racial politics of critical race theory, some of his colleagues vilified him and his employer asked him to delete his contributions. Sean refused, on principle, and succeeded in establishing through a 2023 Employment Tribunal that a universalist, colour-blind approach to anti-racism is a protected ‘philosophical belief’ under the Equality Act, an important ruling for the protection of diversity of thought. You can read about Sean’s case here and subscribe to his blog here.

Sean will perform with Jonathan Enright. Jonathan was born and raised in Halifax, West Yorkshire and studied trombone and piano at the Royal College of Music, London. He has performed and recorded with many musicians, including: Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Tito Allen, Joe Bataan, Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers, Kathryn Williams, Peggy Seeger, Elbow, Omar, DJ Henry Fong, The Disruptors. He leads, plays and composes for successful Latin bands, Grupo X and Orchestra Mambo International.

JOIN the FSU to get discounts at all events.

Members receive free speech support and discounts for live events as well as exclusive access to online content, so do consider joining the Free Speech Union.

HOW TO STAND UP FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

DATE: Saturday 3rd February, 2024

TIME: Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Live music from Sean Corby and Jonathan Enright at 7pm, panel with Q & A starts 7.30pm, social from 9pm. Ends 10pm. (Bar is card-only).

VENUE: The Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street, Manchester, M1 5BY.

TICKETS: £5 for FSU members, £8 for non-members, £3 for students.

SPEAKERS:

Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union.

Denise Fahmy, co-director of Freedom in the Arts (FITA).

Sean Corby, musician, advocate for anti-racism and diversity of thought.

Join the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union, Toby Young, for an evening of conversation, debate, socialising and music.

Toby will be speaking to two heroes of the battle for free speech, Denise Fahmy and Sean Corby. Both were supported by the Free Speech Union when they courageously challenged their employers, proving in Employment Tribunals that views which challenge gender ideology and critical race theory are worthy of respect. By making a stand in defence of their beliefs they have succeeded in establishing in law that diversity of thought and freedom of speech must be protected in the workplace.

Sean is also a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble, Gregory Isaacs, Manic St Preachers, Mica Paris, and Jazz Warriors. We are delighted that he has agreed to play a short set from his repertoire with fellow musician, Jonathan Enright.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Toby Young is the general secretary of the Free Speech Union, a non-partisan, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. He co-founded the West London Free School and is the author of four books, the best known of which is How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2001). He is an associate editor of the Spectator, where he’s written a weekly column since 1998. He also runs a blog called DailySceptic.org that has received over 40 million page views.

Denise Fahmy has 30 years’ experience in arts administration and development. She specialises in visual arts and for the past 15 years worked for Arts Council England as a Relationship Manager in the North of England. Denise worked at the Arts Council for more than 15 years and was the relationship manager for visual arts in the North of England. But she was subjected to harassment by fellow employees when she expressed gender critical beliefs in the context of a workplace meeting. The campaign against her culminated in a petition on the organisation’s online noticeboard in which her views were compared to racism and likened to a “cancer”. In June 2023, Leeds Employment Tribunal found that the Arts Council had not adequately protected Denise from harassment. Her successful claim followed the precedent set by the 2021 court victory of Maya Forstater, which established that the belief that there are two sexes is protected under the Equality Act 2010. The decision is here and Denise explains what happened to her here.

Sean Corby is a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble, Gregory Isaacs, Manic St Preachers, Mica Paris, and Jazz Warriors. Sean also worked as a conciliator for ACAS, but, after he posted articles and quotes on the staff intranet which challenged what he saw as the divisive racial politics of critical race theory, some of his colleagues vilified him and his employer asked him to delete his contributions. Sean refused, on principle, and succeeded in establishing through a 2023 Employment Tribunal that a universalist, colour-blind approach to anti-racism is a protected ‘philosophical belief’ under the Equality Act, an important ruling for the protection of diversity of thought. You can read about Sean’s case here and subscribe to his blog here.

Sean will perform with Jonathan Enright. Jonathan was born and raised in Halifax, West Yorkshire and studied trombone and piano at the Royal College of Music, London. He has performed and recorded with many musicians, including: Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Tito Allen, Joe Bataan, Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers, Kathryn Williams, Peggy Seeger, Elbow, Omar, DJ Henry Fong, The Disruptors. He leads, plays and composes for successful Latin bands, Grupo X and Orchestra Mambo International.

JOIN the FSU to get discounts at all events.

Members receive free speech support and discounts for live events as well as exclusive access to online content, so do consider joining the Free Speech Union.