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In the Media

Articles That Mention the Free Speech Union

Even Orwell’s Thought Police didn’t go as far as Trudeau

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You’d assume the reaction to the SNP’s new hate crime laws would make other authoritarian governments hesitate before introducing similar legislation. Humza Yousaf has become a laughing stock and his approval ratings have fallen by 15 points. But apparently not. The new Irish Taoiseach, Simon Harris, is determined to railroad through the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill, Donald Tusk’s government in Poland wants to introduce a new law that would make it a criminal offence to ‘defame’ a member of the LGBT community and Justin Trudeau is pressing ahead with an Online Harms Bill that makes our own Online Safety Act seem like the First Amendment. It’s as if all these ‘liberal’ leaders are saying: ‘You think Humza Yousaf is the West’s foremost opponent of free speech? Hold my beer.’

Toby Young, The Spectator, 20th April 2024.

I’m a woman of colour. DEI is just woke indoctrination

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According to a report by the Free Speech Union published in March, 36% of employees witnessed colleagues being penalised for challenging Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training. 31% stated leaving a job because of their employer’s promotion of ideology. Sharing the findings, Thomas Harris, Director of Data and Impact stated: “There is no evidence the current approach is making Britain’s offices more welcoming, friendlier places to work, and plenty of evidence that it is turning them into a hostile environment, particularly for minorities and those who do not subscribe to woke ideology.”

Raquel Rosario Sánchez, The Telegraph, 19th April 2024.

Free speech victory as councils shelve ‘busybody charters’

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The Free Speech Union (FSU) has analysed the PSPOs of 15 local authorities around the country, and says it has found numerous examples of overreach. In some cases, they have written to councils to threaten judicial review. Bryn Harris, the FSU’s chief legal counsel, said the use of PSPOs – known to their critics as “busybody charters” – has become “out of control”.

Camilla Turner, The Telegraph, 13th April 2024.

My father’s greatest act of kindness

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I’ve been busy planning a trip to New Zealand and Australia. I’ll be gone for about five weeks from mid-June, which is by some distance the longest holiday I’ve ever had. Except it won’t be a holiday, since I’ll be spending quite a bit of time raising money for the Free Speech Union’s sister organisations in the Antipodes. There will be dinners to attend, events to speak at, hands to shake. But I’ve also built in some down time, which will be an opportunity to do some sightseeing.

Toby Young, The Spectator, 13th April 2024.

The Farcical First Week of Scotland’s ‘Hate Crime’ LawSentences – Copy

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All the farce has prompted Toby Young’s Free Speech Union to launch a hotline for anyone arrested or contacted by the police under Scotland’s hate crime law. The Union says it has attracted 1,000 new Scottish members in recent weeks, showing that as amusing as the legislation’s failures may be, serious fears persist around its ability to do genuine harm.

Michael Curzon, The European Conservative, 9th April 2024.

Free speech in free fall

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This leaves the cause of free speech, in all its ugliness and chaos, a rather lonely one. Its two most reliable defenders are the Free Speech Union, set up by journalist and school-founder Toby Young – a victim of multiple attempts at left-wing cancellation for his views – and the libertarians at Spiked Online.

Fred de Fossard, The Critic, 9th April 2024.

Cancel culture breeds cowardice

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The results of that government study were echoed at the end of March by another survey, this one carried out by the Free Speech Union (FSU). It found that 62 per cent of UK employees who undergo diversity training at work say they have had to conceal what they really think due to fear of losing their jobs. One person surveyed, a white woman in her late fifties, said: “I think everyone is too scared to speak about topics like this anymore and certainly free speech doesn’t exist in my company.”

Patrick West, Spiked, 8th April 2024.

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