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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250618T183000
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DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
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SUMMARY:DEBATING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND HUMAN RIGHTS
DESCRIPTION:FREE SPEECH UNION SCOTLAND: DUNDEE\nDEBATING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND HUMAN RIGHTS \nWednesday 18th June\, 2025  \n6.30pm\, doors open 6pm  \nVENUE: University of Dundee\, Perth Road\, Dundee. Room location will be provided after booking.  \nREGISTRATION HERE: ENTRY IS FREE BUT PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. ON REGISTRATION\, YOU WILL BE INVITED TO MAKE A DONATION TO COVER SPEAKER EXPENSES.  \nJoin us for an essential and timely conversation about Freedom of Speech and Human Rights.   \nThe concept of Human Rights is a hotly contested area of political debate—perhaps never more so than now in Scotland. Scotland’s political and civic divisions are replicated in every jurisdiction across the western hemisphere. Free speech is under threat in a culture which prioritises the claims of those deemed at risk from offence or ‘hate’ speech. So how can rights be balanced in Scottish society?  \n In 2026 Scotland goes to the polls to elect a new Scottish Government. The campaign brings with it a certainty that the balance between government oversight and individual freedoms will be argued over throughout. On the one hand we have the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2025-26\, a manifesto with big government at its heart\, on the other we have populist political forces surging through the mainstream ranks and demanding attention. Have the public been ignored by those they usually elect? How has human rights law\, borne out of a desire for European peace after WWII\, developed and been used? Are we as individuals entitled to ‘rights’? Where does the balance sit between fairness\, equality and respect in a society where people feel unheard by government? What do populist forces mean for Scotland in the future?  \n Our panel brings together FSU’s founder Toby Young\, Dundee law professor Dr Claire Methven O’Brien\, former SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC\, and human rights academics Dr David McGrogan of Northumbria University and Professor James Allan from the University of Queensland\, Australia.   \n This is a discussion not to be missed and the FSU looks forward to welcoming you along to our first event in Dundee. \nAfterwards\, we’ll be heading to a nearby pub for drinks and further conversation. \nSPEAKERS  \n Dr Claire Methven O’Brien is a life-long human rights advocate\, researcher and practitioner. She is Reader in Law at the University of Dundee’s School of Law and a member of the Scottish Human Rights Commission.   \n Joanna Cherry KC was the MP for Edinburgh South West from 2015 to 2024. Laterally she chaired Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. She has now returned to her practice at the Scottish bar and is a trustee of the LGB Alliance and a member of the advisory panel to the Free Speech Union in Scotland.   \n Dr David McGrogan David McGrogan is Associate Professor of Law at Northumbria Law School. His research looks critically at international human rights law\, with particular reference to how it serves to buttress the power of the state.  \nProfessor James Allan is Garrick Professor of Law at The University of Queensland\, with special interest in legal and moral philosophy\, constitutional law and bills of rights. He has previously taught in New Zealand\, the USA and Hong Kong\, but was born in Canada and practised law in Toronto and in London. His latest book is ‘The Age of Foolishness: A Doubter’s Guide to Constitutionalism in a Modern Democracy’ and he also writes for The Australian\, The Spectator Australia\, Quadrant and the Daily Sceptic.  \n Chair: Toby Young (Lord Young of Acton) \nToby Young is a British journalist and campaigner. He is the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union\, an associate editor of The Spectator and the editor-in-chief of the Daily Sceptic. He was made a life peer in 2024. 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/dundee-speakeasy-debating-freedom-of-speech-and-human-rights/
LOCATION:University of Dundee\, Perth Road\, Dundee\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates,Regional Speakeasies
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250428T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250428T210000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20250325T185915Z
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SUMMARY:"Lifeblood of Democracy" - Is Freedom of the Press safe in Keir Starmer’s hands?
DESCRIPTION:“Lifeblood of Democracy” – Is Freedom of the Press safe in Keir Starmer’s hands?\nMonday 28th April\, 2025\nDoors open and welcome drinks from 6.45pm. \nPanel discussion and Q and A\, 7.30pm to 9pm. \nReception to follow\, until 10.30pm. \nPrince Phillip House\, 3 Carlton House Terrace\, London SW1Y 5DG. \nTICKETS: Free Speech Union Members: £12; Non-members: £20; Students: £14.\nIn October 2024\, Sir Keir Starmer declared in the Sun newspaper that “journalism is the lifeblood of democracy and journalists are guardians of “democratic values”. Condemning the use of “SLAPPS”\, or Strategic Litigation Against Public Participations”\, by the rich and powerful to intimidate journalists from their pursuit of the public interest\, he went on to pledge that his government would “always champion Press freedoms”. \nBut to seasoned journalists with longer memories\, these words rang hollow as they recalled the PM’s role in pursuing the prosecution of dozens of British journalists as part of Operation Elveden\, while he was Director of Public Prosecutions. \nOperation Elveden was a knee-jerk response to the phone-hacking scandal which had led to the closure of the News of the World in 2011 and was prompted by news organisations handing over evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service of payments made to sources by their own journalists. The Metropolitan Police staged a wave of dawn raids on journalists’ homes\, made mass arrests and charged 29 journalists with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. After five years of investigation and multiple trials\, the longest and costliest investigation in the history of Scotland Yard\, every single journalist walked free. \nThe Free Speech Union is pleased to publish an essay which examines the significance of this unprecedented attack on the freedom of the press and questions whether the PM can really be trusted to defend the Fourth Estate. It is authored by veteran political journalist and stalwart defender of press freedom\, retired Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh. \nWe will mark its publication with a special event to discuss current threats to press freedom\, featuring Trevor\, journalist Anthony France\, who was one of those prosecuted\, and Sir Geoffrey Cox KC\, former Attorney-General\, who successfully defended Sun deputy editor Geoff Webster during the Elveden trials. In the chair will be FSU General Secretary Toby Young. \nSPEAKERS \nTrevor Kavanagh was the award-winning political editor of The Sun for a quarter of a century. He was present at all key moments of the marathon five-year Elveden fiasco. He witnessed the persecution of innocent journalists on trumped up charges of “conspiracy” – a medieval 13th century statute which the CPS admitted was hard to explain and difficult for juries to understand. He was in court as the trials collapsed\, one after another\, under the scrutiny of the defence counsel and increasingly sceptical Old Bailey judges. And he witnessed the final humiliation of the CPS when its counsel was asked in the Appeal Court by Lord Chief Justice Thomas: “Have you at any stage considered the freedom of the press?” \nAnthony France is Crime Editor at the London Standard and a respected UK and international journalist with 30 years’ experience. He was one of 29 journalists arrested and prosecuted as part of Operation Elveden and one of only three to be convicted. Anthony was eventually acquitted – but not until 18 months later and long after he had completed 400 hours of community service with Oxfam. Along with the other suspects he had spent almost three years on police bail\, a form of pre-trial punishment and harassment. None of the acquitted journalists received an apology from the CPS or the police or any form of compensation for their ordeal. \nSir Geoffrey Cox\, KC\, has been the Conservative member of parliament for Torridge and Tavistock since 2005. He was appointed Attorney General of England and Wales and Advocate General of Northern Ireland by Theresa May in 2018 and was knighted in 2021 for his services. He is among the Bar’s most eloquent and formidable performers and became famous during Parliament’s long and heated battle over Brexit for his impassioned defence of British sovereignty. \nChair: Toby Young (Lord Young of Acton). \nToby Young is a British journalist and campaigner. He is the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union\, an associate editor of The Spectator and the editor-in-chief of the Daily Sceptic. He was made a life peer in 2024.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/lifeblood-of-democracy-is-freedom-of-the-press-safe-in-keir-starmers-hands/
LOCATION:Prince Phillip House\, 3 Carlton House Terrace\, London\, SW1Y 5DG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250212T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250212T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
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SUMMARY:THE BIG BILL OF RIGHTS DEBATE
DESCRIPTION:FSU DEBATE \nLondon and Online \nWEDNESDAY 12th FEBRUARY\, 7.30pm\nTHE BIG BILL OF RIGHTS DEBATE: \nA UK Bill of Rights Would Not Protect Free Speech\nCavendish Conference Centre\, 22 Duchess Mews\, W1G 9DT \nTICKETS \nWith Professor JAMES ALLAN and PRESTON BYRNE \nMany free speech enthusiasts envy the USA’s First Amendment. Passed in 1791\, this foundation stone of the Constitution enshrines as a ‘primary value’ that ‘Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech or of the press’. This simple clarity has acquired great historical and patriotic significance and those concerned about Britain’s free speech crisis often crave such a foundational protection against each new encroachment on our right to free expression. \nHowever\, there are plenty of sceptics who argue that constitutional reform over here would not shore up the defence of free speech. Rather\, they argue\, we should reinforce the principles of English common law whereby that which is not expressly illegal\, is a freedom to be enjoyed by each individual. Giving greater power to judges\, lawyers and courts\, they say\, is disempowering of us\, the demos. \nAt The Big Bill of Rights Debate\, we bring together two speakers who take opposing views on a UK Bill of Rights. \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS \nJames Allan is Garrick Professor of Law at The University of Queensland\, with special interest in legal and moral philosophy\, constitutional law and bills of rights. He has previously taught in New Zealand\, the USA and Hong Kong\, but was born in Canada and practised law in Toronto and in London. Professor Allan he is opposed to bills of rights and has been actively involved in the efforts trying to stop one from being enacted in Australia. He sets out his stall in his latest book\, The age of foolishness: a doubter’s guide to constitutionalism in a modern democracy (published 2022). He also writes for The Australian\, The Spectator Australia\, Quadrant and the Daily Sceptic. \nPreston Byrne is a Senior Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute\, Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School and Managing Partner of Byrne & Storm\, P.C. He has advised Internet and social media companies on global free speech and censorship issues since 2018. In 2020\, he wrote a paper for the Adam Smith Institute\, Sense and Sensitivity: Restoring Free Speech in the United Kingdom\, and a draft law\, the UK Free Speech Act\, which would create a First Amendment-style free speech right for the UK. He is dual-qualified in England and the United States. \n————— \nIN-PERSON TICKETS: FSU members £10. Non-FSU Members £15. Aged 25 and under £12. Ticket plus donation to the FSU £25. \nTicket-holders only – NO NEED TO PRINT TICKETS\, WE’LL HAVE A LIST OF REGISTRANTS. \nOnline attendance is free to FSU members. Please register using the Zoom link supplied in FSU emails. \nThe Free Speech Union is a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. Find out more here.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/the-big-bill-of-rights-debate/
LOCATION:Cavendish Conference Centre\, 22 Duchess Mews\, London\, London\, W1G 9DT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240920T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240920T230000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20240803T180625Z
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SUMMARY:Belfast Speakeasy: Why Free Speech Matters Now More than Ever
DESCRIPTION:Why Free Speech Matters Now More than Ever\nA Free Speech Union Belfast Speakeasy\nDATE: Friday 20th September\, 2024 \nTIME: Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Panel with Q & A\, 7.30pm until 9pm\, followed by social. \nVENUE: Lanyon Suite\, Crumlin Road Gaol\, Belfast. \nTICKETS: £6 for FSU members\, £10 for non-members\, £3 for students. \nIf you would like to take a tour of the gaol before the event\, you can find out more here. There is also a restaurant on site if you’d like to eat.  \nOur event begins at 7.30pm\, doors and bar open at 6.30pm.   \nJoin us at the historic Crumlin Road Gaol for the Free Speech Union’s second Northern Ireland Speakeasy and the launch of its new Northern Ireland Advisory Council. \nOn Friday 20th September we will discuss how we can best help people in the region defend their rights to freedom of expression. We will be monitoring closely and responding to any developments in hate crime legislation – having already been the primary organisation challenging similar law enacted in Scotland. We are supporting two cases where women’s rights activists have been targeted for their opinions\, but we will now be stepping up our capacity to defend free speech in Northern Ireland. \nAt a time of rising social tensions\, it is more important than ever that people can come together to raise the issues that concern them and to debate solutions. \nWe need you to tell us more about what is going on so that we can respond with our proven expertise in fighting cancel culture\, built up over four years and more than 2\,000 cases\, with a membership now exceeding 14\,000 across the United Kingdom. \nThe evening is your chance to hear from great speakers\, to get your voice heard on free speech issues and to meet other free speech enthusiasts. \nSPEAKERS \nKate Hoey\, Labour MP 1989 to 2019\, now Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin \nHeather Binning\, Director of Women’s Rights Network \nSimon Chambers\, solicitor in the ‘TERFed Out’ case and ‘Sara Morrison vs Belfast Film Festival’ \nRuth Dudley Edwards\, journalist\, historian and crime novelist \nToby Young\, general secretary of the Free Speech Union \nAbout our speakers \nKate Hoey\, born in Country Antrim where her parents were farmers\, Kate Hoey served as Labour MP for Vauxhall in south London for 30 years and was appointed the UK’s first woman Minister for Sport in 1999. She maintained a strong interest in foreign affairs and gained a reputation for being one of the most independent\, non-tribal members of parliament.  \nHeather Binning was born in Scotland and began her career in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office where she held a number of overseas postings in places such as Washington DC to Kuwait. An experienced businesswoman\, she went on to establish the first public internet access across the UK before becoming an economic development consultant for a range of organisations. Heather took up the baton of women’s rights in July 2021\, bringing together a number of local women’s groups which grew to become the (entirely voluntary) Women’s Rights Network. The Network already connects thousands of women\, and continues to grow with more than 60 groups right across the UK. \nSimon Chambers has been practising as a litigation specialist and “problem solver” for nearly 25 years and is based just outside Belfast in Newtownards at Russell and Company Solicitors. Simon also practises in Family and Criminal law\, conveyancing and commercial matters. He is a member of the Law Society Council. Simon is currently pursuing two gender-critical discrimination cases in NI in both the Employment Tribunal and County Court. \nRuth Dudley Edwards is an historian\, crime novelist\, political commentator and an enthusiast for truth-telling. She runs a free speech Facebook page and ignores libelous bile on Twitter/X. Members of Sinn Fein have made unsuccessful efforts to silence her with legal threats. Index on Censorship filed a media freedom alert to the Council of Europe over a libel case taken against her by senior Sinn Fein ex-IRA figure Gerry Kelly as having ‘several characteristics of strategic lawsuits against public participation’. In March 2024\, he had to pay her costs in his failed suit. \nToby Young is the general secretary of the Free Speech Union\, a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. He co-founded the West London Free School and is the author of four books\, the best known of which is How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. He is an associate editor of the Spectator\, where he’s written a weekly column since 1998. He also runs a blog called DailySceptic.org that has received over 40 million page views. \nJOIN the FSU to get discounts at all events. \nMembers receive free speech support and discounts for live events as well as exclusive access to online content\, so do consider joining the Free Speech Union.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/belfast-speakeasy-why-free-speech-matters-more-than-ever/
LOCATION:Crumlin Road Gaol\, Belfast\, 53-55 Crumlin Road\, Belfast\, BT14 6ST\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates,Regional Speakeasies
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240904T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240904T210000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20240827T142904Z
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SUMMARY:FREE SPEECH AFTER THE RIOTS
DESCRIPTION:FREE SPEECH AFTER THE RIOTS  \nWednesday 4th September\, 7.30pm  \nONLINE: Link will be provided to FSU members in exclusive emails.  \nThe shocking murders of three young girls and injuring of many others in the northern town of Southport prompted anti-immigrant protests around the country\, many of which descended into riots. In response\, the government made clear that it would crackdown not just on individuals actively involved in public disorder but also on those who speculated online about the identity of the murderer and others who posted opinions about the crime and the riots. Sir Keir Starmer blamed ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ on social media for whipping up violence and urged the authorities to prosecute people for saying supposedly inflammatory things online.  \nStephen Parkinson\, the Director of Public Prosecutions\, even warned that people sharing footage of the riots online may be prosecuted. “People might think they’re not doing anything harmful\, they are\, and the consequences will be visited upon them\,” he said.   \nAs a result\, a man has been sent to jail for 18 months for sharing something “offensive” that someone else said on Facebook\, another man was sent down for three years for posting “anti-Establishment rhetoric” and a third man was jailed for 18 months for chanting “Who the f*** is Allah?”.   \nThe government’s disturbingly authoritarian reaction further blurred the distinction between speech and action\, words and violence\, and prompted thousands in the UK to join the Free Speech Union to help us defend free expression and to protect themselves from possible legal action.  \nOn Wednesday 4th September\, we are bringing together an emergency panel of speakers to discuss the issues. General Secretary of the Free Speech Union\, Toby Young will be joined by Mark Johnson of free speech and privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch\, Tom Slater of online magazine Spiked and barrister George Thomas\, an expert in the policing of public order.  \nJoin the event online and you can put your questions to the panel. Register using the link that will be emailed to FSU members over the coming week. \nWe will also publish a video of the event. \nToby Young  \nToby Young is the General Secretary of the Free Speech Union\, a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. He co-founded four schools and a multi-academy trust in West London\, served as a Fulbright Commissioner and is the author of four books\, the best known of which is How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2001). He is an associate editor of the Spectator\, where he’s written a weekly column since 1998\, and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Sceptic.   \nTom Slater  \nTom is the editor of Spiked\, the online magazine that is one of the most consistent defenders of free speech. He also writes regularly for the Spectator; he has written for the Sun\, the Telegraph and The Sunday Times; and he appears regularly on TV and radio. Tom is also co-host of the Spiked podcast\, a weekly round-up of news and controversy\, and Last Orders\, a podcast all about freedom and the nanny state.  \nMark Johnson  \nMark is the Advocacy Manager for Big Brother Watch\, the UK civil liberties and privacy campaigning organisation. He has long been an advocate for civil liberties and democracy and has worked in parliament\, party politics\, and public affairs. Mark was previously a Parliamentary Assistant where he worked on domestic and international human rights issues including opposition to the death penalty and freedom of religion.  \nGeorge Thomas  \nGeorge is a barrister immensely experienced in police law\, having worked in the field for over twenty years. He is regularly instructed in civil actions against the police\, judicial review\, inquests and disciplinary proceedings. He provides in-depth and ongoing legal advice to a number of constabularies on both operational and organisational matters\, including collaboration agreements and major public order events. He has a particular interest – and almost unrivalled experience and expertise – in public order policing\, from anti-fracking protests to Friday night punch-ups. 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/free-speech-after-the-riots/
LOCATION:Online Event: Zoom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240709T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240709T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20240520T194823Z
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SUMMARY:After the Cass Review: Free Speech Lessons from the Tavistock and Beyond
DESCRIPTION:After the Cass Review: Lessons for Free Speech from the Tavistock and Beyond\nTuesday 9th July\, 7.30pm until 9pm\, followed by a drinks reception.\nIN-PERSON tickets: The Council Chamber\, Hallam Conference Centre\, 44 Hallam Street\, London W1W 6JJ. \nONLINE: £5 using this link to purchase an online ticket. FSU Members can join free of charge using the link provided in member emails. \nSpeakers\nSue Evans\, retired nurse and practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapist\, first Tavistock Clinic whistle-blower in 2005. \nDr Michael Biggs\, Oxford University\, pioneering researcher into the Tavistock GIDS experiment with puberty blockers. \nDr David Bell\, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst\, former staff governor and whistleblower at the Tavistock Clinic. \nStephanie Davies-Arai\, founder and director of Transgender Trend\, the first UK organisation to question the sudden rise in numbers of children who were identifying as ‘transgender’. \nProfessor Michele Moore\, expert in Inclusive Education and Disability Studies\, co-editor of two ground-breaking books on the phenomenon of ‘transgender children’. \nWhen the Cass Report was published in April 2024\, it was immediately recognised in the UK and abroad as a game-changing intervention in the debate over the treatment of children who express confusion about their gender. Led by eminent paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass\, the systematic review was the most extensive and thoroughgoing assessment ever undertaken of the ‘transgender care’ pathway provided by the Tavistock and Portman Trust’s NHS-funded Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). Devastatingly\, Dr Cass and her team concluded that there was no robust evidence base for the ‘affirmative’ treatment thousands of children and young people have received\, including the prescribing of ‘puberty blockers’ and cross-sex hormones. \nThe exposure of this medical scandal was fought for\, long and hard\, by many who suffered for their commitment to medical ethics and safeguarding children. The first member of staff to raise concerns about treatment at the Tavistock Clinic was Sue Evans back in 2005\, but she\, and others after her\, experienced serious attempts to silence them within the clinic\, across related professional bodies\, in universities\, publishing\, the media and public life. \nThe Free Speech Union is honoured to bring together an expert panel\, including whistleblowere Sue Evans and Dr David Bell from the Tavistock Clinic\, who risked their careers and much more to pursue the truth. This is a unique opportunity for us to learn the lessons from the Cass Report and the Tavistock scandal: that open inquiry and freedom of speech are essential to protecting us from pernicious ideas. \nAbout the Speakers \nSue Evans was a state registered nurse and psychiatric nurse and has worked in many areas of mental health. She was a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Tavistock Clinic and during her employment there\, she spent a period of years working in the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). When Sue became concerned about the GIDS treatment approach\, which she felt was rushing children into hormone therapies\, influenced by the involvement of senior staff in charities such as Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence\, she tried to raise concerns with GIDS clinicians. Eventually she became a whistle-blower\, taking her concerns to the Tavistock Clinical Management. There was an internal inquiry in 2005\, but the report published in 2006 was buried (only coming to light in 2019) and in 2007 Sue left the clinic. She and her husband Marcus Evans have played a crucial role since then in challenging activist-driven medicine and co-authored a clinical book on Gender Dysphoria. She was one of the original claimants in the Keira Bell Judicial Review\, which allowed 3 high court judges to fully examine the Tavistock GIDS approach. \nDr Michael Biggs was the first to discover the experiment with puberty blockers conducted by GIDS and the first to publish its unfavourable results. His research on endocrinological interventions on children and adolescents who identify as transgender has been published in Archives of Sexual Behavior\, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy\, Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism\, and Journal of Sexual Medicine\, and in two edited volumes: Inventing Transgender Children and Young People and Sex and Gender: A Contemporary Reader. He acted as an expert witness in the case of Keira Bell and Mrs A. versus Tavistock NHS Trust (2020) at the High Court of England and Wales\, for a case in the Australian Family Court\, and for Dekker et al. v. Weida et al. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He is Associate Professor of Sociology and Fellow of St Cross College\, University of Oxford. \nDr David Bell is a past president of the British Psychoanalytic Society and worked at the Tavistock Clinic as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for more than 25 years. In his role as Staff Governor\, David was approached by clinicians who were working or had worked within GIDS\, raising very serious concerns about its approach and in 2018 he wrote a report to convey these concerns to Tavistock management but they responded by instituting proceedings against him. Dr Bell’s persistence in working alongside other whistleblowers to force a change in approach\, eventually led to the Cass Review. He is also a leading psychiatric expert in immigration/human rights. \nStephanie Davies-Arai is the founder and director of Transgender Trend\, the leading UK organisation calling for evidence-based healthcare for gender dysphoric children and young people as well as fact-based teaching in schools. She was shortlisted for the John Maddox Prize 2018 for publishing a schools guide supporting gender diverse and trans-identified students in schools. Stephanie was an intervener in the High Court in support of Keira Bell and Mrs A\, who brought a landmark case against GIDS in a claim that under-18s are not old enough to consent to treatment with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Stephanie was awarded the British Empire Medal as founder of Transgender Trend for services to children in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list. \nProfessor Michele Moore has worked internationally for more than 30 years\, building research-led expertise to support inclusive education and communities. She is the co-editor\, with Heather Brunskell-Evans\, of two books which first raised concerns about gender ideology and medicine that are at the heart of the Cass Review: Transgender Children and Young People: Born in Your Own Body which the Tavistock wanted banned from its library\, followed by Inventing Transgender Children and Young People which the Tavistock tried to block with threatened legal action. Because of the concerns she raises about the treatment of children experiencing gender confusion\, she has been the target of vicious campaigns by activists for the last ten years. \nIn the chair will be Dr Jan Macvarish. Jan is Education and Events Director of the Free Speech Union. Before joining the staff of the FSU\, she worked as an academic sociologist\, studying parenting\, family life\, intimacy and reproductive health. \nThere will be an audience Q and A and plenty of time to socialise afterwards at a drinks reception. \nIn-person TICKETS: FSU Members £10 / Non-members £15 / Age 25s and under £12. \nOnline Tickets \nFSU Members who wish to join the event online should use the link provided in member emails. \nJoin the FSU today for free speech support and discounted tickets to all events\, membership from as little as £2.49 per month. \nThe Free Speech Union is a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. Find out more.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/after-the-cass-review-free-speech-lessons-from-the-tavistock-and-beyond/
LOCATION:The Council Chamber\, Hallam Conference Centre\, 44 Hallam Street\, London\, W1W 6JJ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Conferences & Symposiums,Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240501T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240501T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20240404T105011Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240425T143854Z
UID:10000074-1714591800-1714599000@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:FSU Edinburgh Speakeasy: Thirty Days of Hate Crime Law
DESCRIPTION:FSU Edinburgh Speakeasy\nThirty Days of Hate Crime Law\nWednesday 1st May \nThe Counting House\, 34 West Nicolson St\, Newington\, Edinburgh EH8 9DD. \nPanel debate 7.30pm – 9.30pm\, (doors open 7pm)\, bar open until 10.30pm. \nIn just the first three days since the implementation of Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act\, more than 3000 ‘hate crimes’ were reported to Police Scotland. This was entirely predictable and no doubt reflected a combination of reporting by those keen to make use of the act’s censorious powers and mischievous attempts at exposing its almost comically dreadful\, authoritarian intent. The problems of the law on paper were much discussed in the years it took for it to reach the statute book\, but what will happen next? \nSince the law came into force on April 1st\, the Free Speech Union has been inundated with hundreds of new members in Scotland\, a sure indication of the level of concern that exists north of the border. But it’s not just the Scots who are paying close attention — free speech supporters in the rest of the UK and internationally are watching closely\, anxious to learn how to resist attempts elsewhere to impose similarly draconian measures. \nOn Wednesday 1st May\, the FSU brings together an expert panel to discuss what we have learnt from the first thirty days under the new hate crime regime\, and what can be done to mitigate its effects and hasten its demise. Speakers confirmed so far include MSP Murdo Fraser\, FSU general secretary Toby Young and lawyer David McKie. \nThere will\, of course\, be plenty of time for discussion\, as well as socialising with fellow free speech supporters. \nTickets are £5 for FSU members\, £10 for non-members. \nFSU Members can join the event online\, free of charge\, using the link supplied in FSU emails. \nNon-members can pay a small fee to join the event online here. \nJOIN the FSU to get discounts at all events. \nAbout our speakers:  \nMurdo Fraser is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party politician who has represented the Mid Scotland and Fife Region since 2001\, speaking for the party on business\, economy and tourism. He threatened legal action against Police Scotland after discovering that a social media post in which he criticised Scottish government gender policies had been formally recorded as a Non Crime Hate Incident without his knowledge. Before politics\, Murdo Fraser grew up in Inverness and attended Inverness Royal Academy. He went on to train in Law at the University of Aberdeen before becoming a solicitor. \nDavid McKie is senior partner in the law firm Levy McRae. He has been involved in some of the most significant cases in Scotland in the last 25 years\, including representing Joanna Cherry in the case involving The Stand Comedy Club last summer and acting for the women’s group FiLiA who successfully challenged Edinburgh venue Platform when they threatened to stop their pre-booked event. He has vast experience in almost all forms of litigation including police investigations\, criminal cases\, civil disputes and all forms of inquiries – public\, parliamentary and fatal accident inquiries. He also advises many of the major media companies in the UK\, in print\, broadcast and online and was head of media law at the University of Glasgow for ten years. He has authored books\, legal articles and is a regular commentator on legal issues in the media. \nToby Young is founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union\, a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. He co-founded four schools and a multi-academy trust in West London\, served as a Fulbright Commissioner and is the author of four books\, the best known of which is How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2001). He is an associate editor of the Spectator\, where he’s written a weekly column since 1998\, and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Sceptic.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/fsu-edinburgh-speakeasy-thirty-days-of-hate-crime-law/
LOCATION:The Counting House\, 38 West Nicolson Street\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9DD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates,Regional Speakeasies
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230913T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230913T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20230904T125610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230914T084940Z
UID:10000052-1694633400-1694640600@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Is There a Left Way Back From Woke?
DESCRIPTION:In his provocative new book\, Cancelled: The Left Way Back from Woke\, political scientist Professor Umut Özkirimli describes how the Left has been sucked into a spiral of toxic hatred and outrage-mongering\, retreating from the democratic ideals of freedom\, tolerance and pluralism that it purports to represent. However\, he also warns that the radical identity politics of the contemporary Left are mirrored in identitarian tendencies on the Right and advocates an alternative approach in which we rediscover our common humanity and work across differences to find a constructive and consensual way back from “woke”.\n  \n“Umut Ozkirimli addresses the more extreme forms of woke-ism in this forthright\, often witty examination of contemporary cancel culture… He says he walked into this war zone knowing he’d cop it from both left and right\, and he will surely stir things up.” Sydney Morning Herald\n  \n“This book will make you think\, which is probably what makes it so scary. Özkırımlı’s accessible style helps navigate contentious areas that have\, increasingly\, been seen as too dangerous to debate. Whatever Side you are on in this increasingly vicious culture war\, you would benefit from reading this book. I don’t agree with all of it\, but I am sure as hell glad it made it to the shelves.” Julie Bindel\, feminist and writer.\n  \nProfessor Özkirimli will be joined in conversation by two eminent public intellectuals:\n  \nProfessor Alice Sullivan has been instrumental in providing evidence that clarifies the need to preserve sex-based social categories in data-collection and policy-making. She has also led the UK pushback against the culture of ‘no debate’ about gender theory within and beyond academia\, including rallying academics at University College London to vote to detach the university from Stonewall and ensuring that academic freedom is upheld.\n  \nDr Ashley Frawley is one of the most interesting contemporary critics of identity politics and therapy culture – the prioritising of emotion in public life – bringing her research and insights to a wider audience through frequent engagement with traditional and new media.\n  \nThe panel will discuss Professor Özkirimli’s book and how those on the Left and the politically homeless can be encouraged to reject the divisiveness of ‘woke’ politics and stand up for freedom of speech and democratic values. As ever\, there will be plenty of time for audience Q and A.\n  \nPANEL :\n  \nUmut Özkırımlı is a Senior Research Fellow at IBEI (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals)\, a professor at Blanquerna\, Ramon Llull University\, and a Senior Research Associate at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs). He is also the Academic Director of the Barcelona Summer School of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He is the author of the acclaimed Theories of Nationalism: A Critical Introduction\, currently in its third edition. His writings appear frequently in The Guardian\, openDemocracy\, Times Higher Education\, Huffington Post\, Al Jazeera\, among others.\n  \nAlice Sullivan is Professor of Sociology at University College London (UCL) and Head of Research at the UCL Social Research Institute. Her research focusses on social and educational inequalities in the life course. She has made extensive use of secondary data analysis of large-scale longitudinal data sets in her research\, with a particular focus on the British birth cohort studies of 1958\, 1970 and 2000. She has published on areas including: social class and sex differences in educational attainment\, single-sex and co-educational schooling\, private and grammar schools\, cultural capital\, reading for pleasure\, social mobility\, health inequalities. She is on the Advisory Group of Sex Matters and co-author\, with Selina Todd\, of a new book\, Sex and Gender: A Contemporary Reader.\n  \nDr Ashley Frawley is Associate Professor of Sociology at Swansea University\, where she lectures on social problems\, the economics of social policy\, parenting culture and the sociology of health and illness. She is a commissioning editor at Sublation Press\, host of the Based AF podcast\, and contributing editor of Compact magazine. Her research and writing explore the rising importance attributed to emotions and behaviour in an era of ‘no alternative’ to capitalism. She is particularly interested in ‘vulnerable’ constructions of human subjects in the rhetoric of new social problems. Her most recent book is Significant Emotions: Rhetoric and Social Problems in a Vulnerable Age\, to be published by Bloomsbury in November 2023.\n  \nCHAIR:\n  \nDr Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director of the Free Speech Union.\n  \nThe Free Speech Union is a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members.\n  \n___________________________\n  \nPlease note that in-person tickets to this event have now sold out. The event will be live-streamed to FSU members\, meaning you are still able to attend online. Please register using the Zoom link supplied in emails from FSU Events.\n\nAttend Online: FSU members will be sent a link so they can attend this event on Zoom.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/is-there-a-left-way-back-from-woke/
LOCATION:Online Event: Zoom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230523T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230523T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20230426T104945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230914T085432Z
UID:10000035-1684868400-1684877400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Arts Forum: Freedom of Expression in the Arts
DESCRIPTION:We are delighted to announce that at our next meeting\, Professor Kathleen Stock and Rosie Kay will lead a discussion on what freedom of expression means for the Arts. \nAlthough now well-known for her public engagement with debates pertaining to gender identity\, Professor Stock forged her academic career through work on aesthetics and the artistic imagination in literature\, music and the visual arts. As well as publishing numerous articles and chapters\, she is the author of the book Only Imagine: Fiction\, interpretation\, and imagination (Oxford University Press\, 2017). Professor Stock will be in conversation with the award-winning choreographer Rosie Kay. Rosie is currently preparing to tour with her show 5 Soldiers. \n  \nThe Free Speech Union is a non-partisan\, mass-membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. You can find out more about us here. \nThe FSU Arts Forums have been formed to support arts professionals in developing an effective defence of freedom of expression\, capable of standing up to its latest challenges. \n  \nAttendance is by invitation only and the evening will be conducted according to the Chatham House rule. If there are others you think we should invite\, please let us know. \nDr Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director\, The Free Speech Union \nJan@freespeechunion.org
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/arts-forum-freedom-of-expression-in-the-arts/
LOCATION:October Gallery\, 24 Old Gloucester St\, London\, WC1N 3AL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230510T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230510T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20230426T104344Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230905T193934Z
UID:10000034-1683747000-1683757800@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Blasphemy Law by the Back Door?
DESCRIPTION:Are we seeing the return of blasphemy law ‘by the back door’?\n  \nWith Emma Webb\, Rakib Ehsan\, Stephen Evans and Ben Jones – In partnership with Common Sense Society UK\n  \nThe offence of blasphemy was abolished in England and Wales in 2008\, but the disturbing case of the Batley Grammar School teacher – still in hiding two years after showing a picture of Mohammed in an RE class – and the recent punishment of schoolboys in Wakefield for lightly scuffing a copy of the Quran suggest that the imposition of de facto blasphemy laws is unlikely to end soon. \nBlasphemy remains a crime in Northern Ireland\, and while Scotland’s blasphemy law was repealed in 2021\, it was replaced with menacing\, vague new offences against stirring up of religious hatred. Meanwhile\, some would argue the Equality Act has created new categories of ‘blasphemous’ speech and heretical beliefs. ‘Woke’ speech codes in workplaces and universities are often likened to a new religious doctrine\, with new taboos policed not just by twitter mobs but through HR departments and EDI policies\, ironically\, often in the name of ‘inclusivity’ and ‘diversity’. Recent scenes in New Zealand and at Speakers Corner in London remind us that even today\, attempts to silence can still take on the very old-fashioned form of a physical mob\, baying for the blood of heretics. \nIn this climate\, are we seeing the return of blasphemy laws ‘by the back door’? In a pluralist society\, how should we strike a balance between tolerance for diverse beliefs and the right to ridicule or criticise religion? How can we defend the right to free speech against Islamism\, while our institutions routinely censure dissent from woke liturgy? \nJoin our expert panel\, Emma Webb\, Rakib Ehsan\, Steven Evans and Ben Jones for an in-depth discussion followed by audience Q and A. \n  \nAbout our speakers: \nEmma Webb is director of the UK branch of the Common Sense Society. Emma was the co-founder of campaign group Save Our Statues. Before that\, she was director of the Forum on Integration\, Democracy and Extremism (FIDE) at Civitas\, where she remains an associate fellow. Prior to that\, Emma was a research fellow at the Centre on Radicalisation and Terrorism at the Henry Jackson Society\, specialising in Islamist social networks and institutions. As a political and cultural commentator Emma has written for the Telegraph\, Times\, Spectator\, Independent\, spiked\, Unherd\, ConHome\, CapX\, among others\, and regularly appears on broadcast media\, including talkRADIO\, GB News and the BBC. \n  \nDr Rakib Ehsan is a research analyst and writer\, specialising in matters of social cohesion\, race relations\, and public security. He is the author of the forthcoming book Beyond Grievance and has worked with a number of think-tanks\, including the Henry Jackson Society\, the Centre for Social Justice\, Policy Exchange\, ResPublica and the Runnymede Trust. Rakib is a columnist for Sp!ked and a regular contributor for The Daily Mail and The Telegraph. He has featured on BBC Newsnight and Good Morning Britain (GMB). \n  \nStephen Evans is the chief executive of the National Secular Society and a regular media commentator on the role of religion in public life. The National Secular Society played a leading role in the campaign to abolish blasphemy in England and Wales and ensuring free speech on religion was protected in Scotland’s 2021 Hate Crime Act. \n  \nBen Jones is Deputy Director of the Free Speech Union’s cases team and he helps members of the public in all walks of life who’ve been penalised for speaking their minds. He also represents the FSU on TV and radio and co-hosts the FSU’s new podcast\, That’s Debatable. And he is in the final months of a PhD on British ex-Muslims\, focusing in part on how difficult it is for them to speak freely because of the danger\, self-censorship and social taboo around criticising Islam.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/blasphemy-law-by-the-back-door/
LOCATION:London – Private\, London\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230327T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230327T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20230906T151744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230914T133752Z
UID:10000033-1679945400-1679954400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Disinformation\, Misinformation and the Freedom to Dissent
DESCRIPTION:How do we stop disinformation and misinformation being weaponised to suppress dissent?\nSo-called disinformation and misinformation have been singled out by many governments\, institutions\, charities and commercial businesses as a threat to democracy\, requiring widespread censorship. Is this a genuine concern\, or just an excuse to suppress dissenting points of view on issues like the lockdowns\, mRNA vaccines\, the war in Ukraine and climate change? And even if the threat is real and the concern genuine\, how can we trust these agents to accurately identify disinformation and misinformation? \nCriminalising or suppressing the dissemination of ‘fake news’ often seems to be a convenient way of silencing critics of those in power. New evidence has emerged of the UK Government monitoring people who questioned the wisdom of the Covid-19 lockdown\, including scientists and journalists. A recent report by campaign group Big Brother Watch revealed that at least three government units — the Counter Disinformation Unit\, the Rapid Response Unit and the 77th Brigade — were deployed to track the social media activities of British citizens\, identifying those regarded as problematic\, whom Government departments then reported to social media companies using their ‘trusted flagger’ status. \nWe bring together a panel of experts including the publisher of that report\, Silkie Carlo of Big Brother Watch\, writer and broadcaster Timandra Harkness\, and two of those identified by a 77th Brigade whistleblower as having been flagged for disseminating content critical of Covid policies\, the journalist Peter Hitchens and FSU General Secretary Toby Young. Join us\, in-person or online\, to discuss what lessons we should learn about how to counter this threat to free speech and defend the right to dissent. \nPANEL: \nSilkie Carlo\, Director of Big Brother Watch \nSilkie works to further human rights and equality particularly in the fields of state surveillance\, policing technologies\, big data\, artificial intelligence\, and free expression using parliamentary lobbying\, strategic litigation\, investigations and public campaigns to successfully change policies and laws. She is regularly invited to give expert evidence on civil liberties matters to UK Parliament and has also given oral evidence on technology and human rights issues to European Parliament and the Bundestag. \n  \nTimandra Harkness\, journalist\, writer and broadcaster \nTimandra is a regular on BBC Radio\, writing and presenting BBC Radio 4’s FutureProofing and other series including How To Disagree\, Steelmanning and Political School. BBC documentaries include Data\, Data Everywhere\, Divided Nation\, What Has Sat-Nav Done To Our Brains\, and Five Knots. Her book Big Data: does size matter? published by Bloomsbury Sigma in 2016\, came out in an updated paperback edition in June 2017. She is currently writing her second non-fiction book for Harper Collins. \n  \nPeter Hitchens\, columnist\, journalist and author \nPeter is a columnist for The Mail on Sunday who has spent more than 40 years in Fleet Street\, covered labour affairs\, politics\, defence and diplomacy and been a resident correspondent in Moscow (1990-1992) and Washington DC (1993-1995). He has visited 57 countries\, some of which no longer exist\, and is the author of several books including The Abolition of Liberty. \nCHAIR: \nToby Young\, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union \nToby Young is a British journalist and former Director of the New Schools Network\, a free schools charity. In addition to being the founder and General Secretary of the Free Speech Union\, he is an associate editor of the Spectator and the editor of the Daily Sceptic. \nThe Free Speech Union is a non-partisan\, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. Find out more here.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/disinformation-misinformation-and-the-freedom-to-dissent-2/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230123T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230123T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20230425T194459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230425T194929Z
UID:10000026-1674502200-1674511200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Free Speech and the Right to Protest
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an in-person event in central London\, or online if you prefer\, to explore the lines between freedom of speech and the right to protest. \nMost of us can agree that freedom of speech and the right to protest are fundamental to democracy but our shared notions of what is permissible are often tested in the face of actual speech and real-life protests. Recent tactics employed by environmental campaigners have introduced new dilemmas for the public\, the police and for law-makers\, where extended or repeated disruptions to the daily life of some citizens are balanced against the right of other citizens to raise their political or moral concerns in the public domain. The debate over abortion clinic ‘buffer zones’ has also thrown up many important questions about speech and protest. What constitutes speech – does it include images\, silent prayer\, singing? Should legislation deal explicitly with the activities of campaigners motivated by a particular set of beliefs? How does the location and context of speech affect society’s willingness to tolerate it? \nWe have brought together a panel to help us explore these questions – we do not anticipate easy answers! We have two of the main protagonists in the ‘buffer zones’ debate. Ryan Christopher\, director of pro-life group ADF International\, opposes what his organisation terms ‘censorship zones’ on free speech grounds. Ann Furedi\, former chief executive of BPAS\, Britain’s leading abortion provider\, describes herself as a ‘free speech absolutist’ but argues that the targeting of abortion clinic staff and patients by campaigners should not be tolerated. Their fellow interlocutors are Bryn Harris\, the FSU’s Chief Legal Counsel and FSU Case Officer Tim Cruddas\, who was a serving police officer for 26 years and has\, on numerous occasions\, been responsible for the policing of protests and other public order incidents. \n  \nRyan Christopher \nRyan Christopher is director of ADF International in the UK (Alliance Defending Freedom). ADF is a faith-based legal advocacy organization that protects fundamental freedoms and promotes the inherent dignity of all people. Ryan leads the ADF UK’s advocacy efforts and acts as a liaison for politicians\, media\, and other NGO allies working on shared mission issues. He also writes on the relationship between philosophy\, law\, and freedom of expression. \nTim Cruddas \nTim has recently retired from a long career in the Metropolitan Police – mostly in Counter Terrorism and Domestic Extremism; including 4 years in the Intelligence Unit of the Met’s Public Order Branch. This involved working on many major public order operations – including the 2010 student riots\, the 2011 royal wedding and the 2012 Olympics. He is a strong proponent of Free Speech within the law and is able to offer a useful “Police perspective” in FSU matters. \nAnn Furedi \nAnn Furedi is the author of The Moral Case for Abortion. Ann ran the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas)\, which provides about half of all abortions in Britain\, for almost two decades. She recently completed a masters degree in philosophy and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science by Kent University for her work on abortion law and ethics. \nBryn Harris \nBryn has worked as chief legal counsel of the Free Speech Union since 2020. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2018\, and before that he did a doctorate in classics at the University of Oxford. In a previous life he was a linguist and has worked as a translator and lexicographer. Bryn’s main interests are in law\, philosophy and literature\, and he has a particular interest in the law and practice surrounding academic freedom of speech.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/free-speech-and-the-right-to-protest/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220908T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220908T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T084623
CREATED:20230425T182155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230425T182839Z
UID:10000020-1662665400-1662672600@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:FSU Arts Forum: Standing Up for Freedom of Expression Across the Arts
DESCRIPTION:Following the success of two initial FSU Arts Forums\, one in London and the other in Glasgow\, we invite artists\, performers\, writers\, curators\, architects\, designers and others involved in the arts\, to join a panel-led discussion on Standing Up for Freedom of Expression Across the Arts. \nWe are all familiar with stories of artists having their reputations and careers threatened as punishment for the expression of views which challenge certain new orthodoxies. There are also more subtle limitations on the artistic imagination from\, for example\, demands that artists prioritise non-artistic factors when creating their work. The FSU Arts Forums have been formed to develop an effective defence of freedom of expression\, capable of standing up to its latest challenges. \nThe Free Speech Union is a non-partisan\, mass-membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members. You can find out more about us here. \nThe discussion will be conducted according to the Chatham House rule. If there are others you would recommend we invite\, please let us know.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/fsu-arts-forum-standing-up-for-freedom-of-expression-across-the-arts/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Public Debates
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END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR