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In the Media

Articles That Mention the Free Speech Union

Willetts: free speech bill “could protect extreme views”

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Appearing at the same event, Bryn Harris, the chief legal counsel for the Free Speech Union, said another potential issue when the bill is implemented will be universities arguing that freedom of speech within the law allows them to impose employment policies that can then restrict what academics say.
He agreed the new legislation “may see institutions performing a tightrope walk between compliance with this bill or, if they get it slightly wrong, potentially falling foul of the Equality Act”. But this could be dealt with by the OfS guidance, he said.
There needs to be “interplay” between free speech and HR committees to ensure overall compliance with all legislation, he said, adding that “universities are going to have a lot of work to do.”

Tom Williams, Times Higher Education, 26th April 2023.

Oxford students call for feminist Kathleen Stock to be no-platformed at Union over trans views

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Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: “For the past five years, LGBTQ activists have been refusing to debate gender critical feminists, claiming their views are ‘harmful’ and smearing them as bigots and TERFS [trans-exclusionary radical feminists]. As a consequence, they’re losing the argument in the public square and setting the cause of trans rights backwards.”

Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph, 24th April 2023.

Report: “British police in free speech crisis”

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The Free Speech Union (FSU) said there is a “free speech crisis” in British policing and that forces were spending little or no time on the right to freedom of expression.
The FSU’s report states that the concept of “gender identity” is not the consensus position and it is “concerning to find police EDI training endorsing one side of this ongoing debate”.
The report claims that officers, primed by “partisan EDI training to see any criticism of gender identity as intrinsically ‘hateful’”, have been arresting “gender critical speakers without a second thought”.

The Christian Institute, 25th March 2023.

Christian theology lecturer sacked by Bible college over tweet on human sexuality

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Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: “Expressing orthodox Christian beliefs should not be grounds for dismissal from a purportedly Christian organisation. I look forward to Alastair Campbell defending Aaron Edwards’ right to free speech, just as he did Gary Lineker’s.”
“Defending free speech means defending the right of people to express views you do not agree with, not just those you agree with.”

Christian Today, 20th March 2023.

Enid Blyton books hidden ‘under the counter’ as libraries fret about offensive language

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Dr Byrn Harris, legal counsel for the Free Speech Union, said: “The Free Speech Union deals with a lot of curious decisions regarding free speech – however even we are bemused by the decision to treat the author of Noddy as dangerous and subversive samizdat.”
“Public libraries obviously cannot stock everything, but by law they must provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ service.”
“Deliberately holding back certain works and making them less accessible might fall short of that standard, especially if the reasons for doing so are of dubious relevance – for instance, because the librarian finds those works subjectively offensive.”
“If public libraries insist on having a censorship policy then users, especially children and their parents or guardians, must be clearly informed that the library’s holdings may not be comprehensive as a result of the policy.”

Craig Simpson, The Telegraph, 18th March 2023.

Suella’s crackdown on “woke police” welcome return to common sense, says TOBY YOUNG

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As the General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, I’ve been campaigning against the recording of “non-crime hate incidents” by the police for three years so I’m delighted the Home Secretary has produced this draft guidance. She hasn’t done away with the practice altogether, but if the police follow her advice to use their common sense and have due regard to the right to freedom of expression before recording an NCHI this is a huge win.

Toby Young, Daily Express, 13th March 2023.

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