GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT: FREE SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN THE CURRENT MOMENT.

GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT: FREE SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN THE CURRENT MOMENT IN-PERSON BY INVITATION-ONLY ONLINE for FSU MEMBERS (REGISTER USING ZOOM LINK IN MEMBER NEWSLETTERS) Since the massacre committed by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7th, public spaces around the United Kingdom have seen an upsurge in pro-Palestinian political protests. […]

Free Speech Cambridge

The Potting Shed at The Waterman 32 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom

PARTNER EVENT On Thursday 16th November, 2023 our friends at Free Speech Cambridge will be hosting author Laura Dodsworth, to talk about her work, in particular her new book, Free Your Mind: The must-read expert guide on how to identify techniques to influence you and how to resist them. Tickets are free, but you must […]

Battle of Ideas Festival

Church House Westminster, Great Smith Street,, London, United Kingdom

BATTLE OF IDEAS festival 2023 TICKETS ON SALE NOW: GET YOUR SPECIAL FSU DISCOUNT!  Battle of Ideas festival returns to Church House, Westminster on 28 & 29 October. As ever the festival motto is: ‘Free speech allowed, free thinkers welcome’. There’s plenty to discuss, from the cultural and corporate wars on free speech to the […]

FSU Edinburgh Speakeasy: Can Words Really Hurt?

The Counting House 38 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Can Words Really Hurt? A philosophical, legal and common sense conversation. Almost two and a half years after achieving royal assent, Scotland’s controversial Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act is due to be implemented in 2024. It was reported recently that Police Scotland are setting up a special unit to deal with the new hate […]

What is Indoctrination within Education and How Can it be Avoided?

October Gallery 24 Old Gloucester St, London, United Kingdom

UNCANCELLED DEBATE  What is indoctrination within education and how might it be avoided?   Debate featuring academic and campaigner Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert and an expert panel of educators.  On Saturday 23rd September, Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert was due to speak on a panel at the Rethinking Education conference in London, debating how we should distinguish […]

LIVE! In conversation: Nigel Farage and Toby Young

Hippodrome, London Little Newport Street, London, United Kingdom

Come along for a special late-night event in a great venue, to hear FSU General Secretary Toby Young in conversation with broadcaster and political leader, Nigel Farage. They will discuss the latest threats to freedom of speech, including their direct experiences of financial censorship.  There will, of course, be an audience Q and A.   As […]

Understanding Tyranny and Liberty: Lessons from Alexis de Tocqueville and J.S. Mill

The Art Workers' Guild 6 Queen Square, London, United Kingdom

Understanding Tyranny and Liberty: Lessons from Alexis de Tocqueville and J.S. Mill  With Guest Lecturer Professor Jeremy Jennings   Prior to the nineteenth century many writers were aware that autocratic states reduced individuals to silence and obedience through fear and the threat of punishment. When visiting the United States in the early 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville […]

Is There a Left Way Back From Woke?

Online Event: Zoom

In his provocative new book, Cancelled: The Left Way Back from Woke, political scientist Professor Umut Özkirimli describes how the Left has been sucked into a spiral of toxic hatred and outrage-mongering, retreating from the democratic ideals of freedom, tolerance and pluralism that it purports to represent. However, he also warns that the radical identity […]

Event Series Regional Speakeasies

FSU Manchester Speakeasy – Free Speech: A Radical History

Friends' Meeting House Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St, Manchester, United Kingdom

SPEAKERS: FSU Manchester Speakeasy with local historian Michael Herbert of Red Flag Walks, Dr Cheryl Hudson of University of Liverpool and Jonathan Schofield, writer, Manchester tour guide and editor of Manchester Confidential. DATE: Thursday 20th July 2023 VENUE: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St, Manchester M2 5NS TIME: 7PM – 8.30PM (followed by social at […]

Event Series Regional Speakeasies

Edinburgh Summer Speakeasy – Can the Arts Survive in Scotland?

The Counting House 38 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

CAN THE ARTS SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN SCOTLAND?   In a censorious climate, how can we protect the freedom to imagine for actors, artists, comedians, musicians, poets, writers and audiences? Last summer, comedian Jerry Sadowitz was forced to cancel his show at the Edinburgh Fringe when staff at The Pleasance refused to work at his […]

Event Series Regional Speakeasies

Cardiff Regional Speakeasy – Freedom of Thought, Freedom of Speech & Religious Belief

The Sandringham Hotel – Grosvenor Suite 21 Saint Mary Street, Cardiff

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT, FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF   Free Speech Union member Ben Dybowski was sacked from a school for sharing his Christian beliefs at a staff-only diversity and inclusion training seminar run by Diverse Cymru, an organisation that trains teachers on ‘unconscious bias’ and ‘trans, gender identity and gender expression awareness’. Having […]

Comedy Unleashed – Stand-up for Free Speech

The Hi-Fi Club Leeds 2 Central Road, Leeds

THE HOME OF FREE-THINKING COMEDY   7th July - Doors at 6:30pm, acts on stage 7:30pm   Having consistently sold out shows in London for the past 5 years,  Comedy Unleashed  brings its refreshing brand of stand-up comedy to The HiFi Club  in Leeds.   If a comedian gets cancelled, we put them on. We think that […]

Unfair Play: The Battle for Women’s Sport and Against Attempts to Silence its Champions

The Council Chamber Hallam Conference Centre, 44 Hallam Street, London, United Kingdom

Wednesday 5th July, in-person in Central London or Online   Of all the issues thrown up by the rise of gender ideology and the push for trans-inclusivity, safety and fairness in women’s sport is probably the one that has most grabbed mainstream public attention. And yet, too often, debate has been shut down and those […]

The Battle for Free Speech: Jane Robins in conversation with Toby Young

The Garden Suite, Clayton Hotel Cambridge 27-29 Station Rd,, Cambridge, Cambridge

Campus mobs, preferred pronouns, artworks consigned to the dustbin of history, controversial views dismissed as ‘misinformation’, children’s books censored, de facto blasphemy laws, employees sacked for having the ‘wrong’ opinions, celebrities cancelled for theirs... the battle to defend free speech is never ending.   This is your opportunity to hear from the man leading the […]

Annual Convention 2023

Virtual Event Virtual Event

The FSU Annual Convention The Convention affords senior staff and the directors of the FSU the opportunity to thank members for their support and to report back on highlights from the past year – e.g., legal victories, case-work successes and the impact our behind-the-scenes legislative and policy work is having. It’s also a great opportunity […]

Whose Values? Whose Voices? Are We Being Silenced By a ‘New Elite’?

The Emmanuel Centre – Upper Hall 9-23 Marsham St, London

Professor Matthew Goodwin’s latest book Values, Voices and Virtue: The New British Politics has stirred up lively discussion about whether a ‘new elite ’, with values alien to the majority, has become a dominant cultural and political force in Britain. Stepping into the middle of the culture wars and offering an analysis that is critical […]

Blasphemy Law by the Back Door?

London – Private London, United Kingdom

Return of Blasphemy Laws? Balancing Tolerance and Free Speech - Join Emma Webb, Rakib Ehsan, Stephen Evans, and Ben Jones for an insightful panel discussion exploring the resurgence of de facto blasphemy laws, the balance between tolerance for diverse beliefs and the right to ridicule or criticise religion, and defending free speech against Islamism and institutional censure. Engage with our expert panelists, followed by an audience Q&A session. In partnership with Common Sense Society UK.

Comedy Unleashed – Stand-up for Free speech

The Hi-Fi Club Leeds 2 Central Road, Leeds

THE HOME OF FREE-THINKING COMEDY   Friday 5th May - Doors at 6:30pm, acts on stage 7:30pm   Having consistently sold out shows in London for the past 5 years,  Comedy Unleashed  brings its refreshing brand of stand-up comedy to The HiFi Club  in Leeds. If a comedian gets cancelled, we put them on. We think […]