In the Media

Articles That Mention the Free Speech Union

Elon Musk TAKES OVER Twitter – billionaire agrees historic deal with social media giant

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The Free Speech Union added following the news: “We look forward to an overhaul of the social media company’s content moderation policies so it becomes possible for users to challenge prevailing orthodoxies, whether about the participation of transwomen in women’s sports or the effectiveness of the Covid vaccines, without running the risk of being no-platformed.”

Michael Curzon, The Daily Express, 25th April 2022.

Backlash as Home Office staff are told to add their pronouns to work emails and state whether they want to be called he, she or they

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The Free Speech Union warned the new rules could breach equalities law, and have written to the Home Office’s top civil servant Sir Matthew Rycroft to complain about the directive. They said: “We are concerned that this instruction, which appears to be mandatory, is a form of compelled speech that violates the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the right to free speech and is a breach of the Equality Act 2010.”

Daniel Martin, The Daily Mail, 16th April 2022.

Home Office insisting civil servants indicate pronouns

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The Free Speech Union has written to Matthew Rycroft, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, to complain about a directive to Home Office staff to include their pronouns in their email signatures. They are concerned that this instruction, which appears to be mandatory, is a form of compelled speech that violates the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the right to free speech (Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights).

Guido Fawkes, 15th April 2022.

PRONOUN DEMAND Civil servants ordered to state if they’re male, female or non-binary in email signatures

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Staff in the Visa, Status and Information Services department received an email ordering them to include their pronouns at the end of all messages they send. They must put “he/him” if they are a man, “she/her” if they are a woman or “they/them” if they don’t identify as either. But the Free Speech Union warned the order could breach equalities law. It has written to the Home Office’s top civil servant Matthew Rycroft to complain.

Kate Ferguson, The Sun, 15th April 2022.

MPs join group to fight cancel culture

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Joanna Cherry, the SNP MP and QC, Jenny Lindsay, the award-winning poet, Lindsay Paterson, a professor of education policy, and Murdo Fraser MSP, the former deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, have given their support to the Free Speech Union Scotland, which will launch later this month.

Marc Horne, The Times, 12th April 2022.

Online Safety Bill will “fan flames of intolerance” towards Christians

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In an interview for news website Christian Today, Toby Young, Founder of The Free Speech Union (FSU), said the “short and medium-term prognosis” for Christian freedom of expression under the Bill “isn’t good”. He said this is because some traditional Christian views are already considered “offensive, or even ‘hate speech’”, and that the proposed legislation would make this worse.

Giles Lambert, The Christian Institute, 12th April 2022.