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The Free Speech Union can congratulate themselves on “at least an improvement on earlier versions” of the Bill thanks to their sedulous lobbying. We have to thank them that the legislation won’t now criminalise someone for saying something, whether online or off.
Kathy Gyngell, TCW, 25th September 2023.
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Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, warned that the guidance was “unavoidably imprecise” and open to interpretation.
He questioned the use of the word “gratuitous” and said it was not clear when a “robust response” to a point of view one disagrees with would turn into “harassment”.
He said: “This guidance represents a good-faith effort to balance barristers’ right to freedom of expression with the need to protect the reputation of the profession, but the problem is the language used by the BSB when describing what it has a ‘regulatory interest’ in is unavoidably imprecise and open to interpretation. For instance, what is an acceptable criticism of the justice system and what is ‘gratuitous’? At what point does a robust response to someone with whom you disagree cross the line and become ‘harassment’?”
Will Bolton, The Telegraph, 24th September 2023.
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Dr Ben Jones, of the Free Speech Union, which backed him, said: the complaint “should never have been taken seriously”.
Chris Pollard, The Mail on Sunday, 24th September 2023.
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The anti-racism training provoked a protest from Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union. “Why is [the garden] wasting money on this nonsense?” he asked. “It might as well advertise for a witch-finder general to search for witches hiding in the botanic garden.”
David Leask, The Times, 17th September 2023.
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Karolien Celie, legal officer at the Free Speech Union, said: “Sibyl fought courageously for her right to express her lawfully protected beliefs and we are pleased that the matter is now settled. This outcome is a victory not just for Sibyl but for all gender critical feminists – it serves as an important reminder to businesses to treat all staff, no matter their age or beliefs, fairly and with respect.”
Robert Mendick, The Telegraph, 7th September 2023.
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The Free Speech Union has written to the college claiming that England’s universities are not directed by law to treat students as though they are bound by the Equality Act. It said the college’s attempt to hold students accountable would “unduly inhibit free speech”. The Free Speech Union, led by the journalist Toby Young, has asked for the trans inclusion statement to be withdrawn or rewritten. Young claimed that under the Equality Act, students are treated as third parties and are not bound by its terms.
James Beal, The Times, 7th September 2023.
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The Free Speech Union racked up another significant legal victory at the employment tribunal (ET) last month, securing what promises to be a significant pay-out for a dyslexic Lloyds bank manager sacked in a free speech row.
Freddie Attenborough, The Critic, 6th September 2023.
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Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said he imagined that LGBTQ+ activists forced the BBC to backtrack.
Sarah Ridley, The Sun, 1st September 2023.
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The Free Speech Union offers examples. In 2021, Cambridge created a “reporting tool” designed to allow students to make anonymous allegations of racism, discrimination and “micro-aggressions” against academics. One historian noted that the policy reminded him of tactics employed by the Spanish Inquisition.
Tim Luckhurst, Evening Standard, 1st September 2023.
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Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: “According to the most recent UK census, only 0.26 per cent of the population of England and Wales identify as trans or non-binary. Why, then, is Kent Fire and Rescue insisting firefighters address members of the public as ‘they’ or ‘them’? How is it ‘inclusive’ to pander to 0.26 per cent of the population by using language that will confuse 99.74 per cent?”
Connor Stringer, Daily Mail, 29th August 2023.
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