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In the Media

Articles That Mention the Free Speech Union

Tony Blair Calls for Global Agreement on Social Media Speech Restrictions

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Responding to Hoyle’s comments, the Free Speech Union wrote that it is “concerning to hear the Speaker of the Commons lumping ‘misinformation’ in with ‘incitement, threats and intimidation’ while talking up the need for greater cross-border censorship. Given that all statements of fact or opinion are provisional, who gets to define ‘misinformation’, and when?”

Kurt Zindulka, Breitbart, 7th September 2024.

Government faces High Court showdown with its free speech tsar

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Bryn Harris, the FSU’s chief legal counsel, said: “The Free Speech Union has formally commenced legal proceedings against the Government following its revocation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. These proceedings are of the highest constitutional importance. For almost 350 years, the governance of this country has rested on a golden premise: ministers of the Crown may not set aside the law made by Parliament. We say that a new government, flushed with power and ideological fervour, has thrown that rule to the wind. We believe the law is clear: our fundamental right to free speech, as protected by our sovereign Parliament, cannot be treated with such cavalier contempt.”

Camilla Turner, The Telegraph, 7th September 2024.

Police record more non-criminal hate incidents despite crackdown

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The data, disclosed in response to freedom of information requests by the Free Speech Union, revealed significant increases in the number of incidents recorded by some police forces, including a 140 per cent rise by Staffordshire police, a 65 per cent increase by North Yorkshire police, a 63 per cent rise by Gwent police and a 35 per cent increase by Suffolk constabulary.

Matt Dathan, The Times, 3rd September 2024.

Police log more non-crime hate incidents despite crackdown

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The data, provided to the Free Speech Union, revealed some forces recorded big increases including Staffordshire (140 per cent), North Yorkshire (65 per cent), Gwent (63 per cent), Suffolk (35 per cent) and North Wales (33 per cent). Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, said the figures suggested the “message had not got through” to some forces that the recording of such incidents represented an interference with people’s free speech.

Charles Hymas, The Telegraph, 2nd September 2024.

THOUGHT CRIME Home Secretary Yvette Cooper threatened with court action over free speech curbs

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Toby Young, the director of the Free Speech Union, has written to the Home Sec warning he will launch legal action if she pushes ahead with her plan. Mr Young said: “The idea that forcing the police to spend more time investigating ‘non-crime’ is going to reduce actual crime is bonkers. Burglars and car thieves will have a free hand, knowing the police are too busy reading our tweets to police our streets.”

Kate Ferguson, The Sun, 31st August 2024.

Jewish groups welcome proposed hate crime measures despite concerns over free speech

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Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union (FSU), a membership organisation that campaigns for free speech, told the JC that despite the instruction by Suella Braverman to only record non-crime hate incidents sparingly, police had not slowed down. He claimed that, according to data from the FSU, since 2014 around a quarter of a million non-crime hate incidents had been recorded – more than 65 a day.

Lorin Bell-Cross, The Jewish Chronicle, 30th August 2024.

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