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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241031T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241031T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20241015T112713Z
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SUMMARY:COMEDY UNLEASHED MANCHESTER
DESCRIPTION:Comedy Unleashed social nights are monthly in Manchester and Leeds. Free Speech Union supporters can meet up\, chat to like-minded people\, have a drink and enjoy some free-thinking comedy. Comedy Unleashed book comedians who have been cancelled and comics who go against the grain and they offer 10% off to Free Speech Union members (use the code provided in FSU newsletters to unlock the discount).
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/comedy-unleashed-manchester-3/
LOCATION:Lloyd Street Bar\, Lloyd Street Bar\, 22 Lloyd Street\, Manchester\, M2 5WA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Live Comedy Specials
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241014T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241014T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240823T111743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240905T123317Z
UID:10000086-1728934200-1728945000@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:HOUNDED OUT: DOES PUBLISHING HAVE A FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION PROBLEM?
DESCRIPTION:FSU BOOK LAUNCH\nHounded Out: Does Publishing Have a Freedom of Expression Problem?\nMonday 14th October\, 7.30pm \nLola’s Bar\, Lower Ground Floor\, The Hippodrome Casino\, Main Entrance\, London WC2H 7JH \nSPEAKERS: \nJenny Lindsay\, poet and essayist \nKate Clanchy\, author \nMatthew Hamilton\, literary agent \n  \n“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches”. Ray Bradbury\, 1979 \nFor the past 35 years\, the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and the eventual murderous attack it inspired have served as the ultimate warning to authors. Such extreme threats to the safety of writers have not gone away but as Bradbury realised\, literary censorship can take many forms. Our highest profile children’s author\, J.K. Rowling\, has had her books boycotted and even burned not by regimes but by readers. \nAnd there seems to be a problem within the publishing industry itself. Authors report the subjection of their manuscripts to oversight by sensitivity readers; publishers resile from contracts when controversy arises; grant-giving bodies withdraw support when recipients speak out of line; booksellers\, shop staff and librarians have refused to stock or display books with which they disagree; authors are no-platformed from literary festivals and literary societies which are supposed to defend authors have turned against them. \nA new book by award-winning poet and essayist Jenny Lindsay offers a detailed account of the culture of ‘hounding’ that those accused of holding heretical beliefs have experienced\, many of them writers and including herself.  Hounded: Women\, Harms and the Gender Wars is described by academic Professor Sarah Pedersen as ‘an excellent and profoundly angering analysis’ and by philosopher Kathleen Stock\, who really was ‘hounded out’ of academia\, as a ‘shocking compendium’. \nJoin us to hear Jenny Lindsay discuss the issues in the publishing world with literary agent Matthew Hamilton and Orwell prize-winning  author Kate Clanchy. \nMatthew has gone to bat for numerous fiction and non-fiction authors who have been threatened with cancellation and is on the Free Speech Union’s Writers’ Advisory Council. In 2021\, Kate Clanchy notoriously had her contract ended by her publisher of 25 years\, Picador\, after online reviewers accused her bestselling teaching memoir Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me of ‘racism’ and ‘ableism’. Despite the support of many of the former pupils described in the book\, all her works were de-published\, in a case which sent concerned waves throughout the publishing world. \nThere will\, of course\, be plenty of time for audience Q and A. \nThe discussion will be followed by a book-signing and social. \nAbout our speakers: \nJenny Lindsay is a poet\, performer and essayist based in Scotland. A formerly celebrated and award-winning producer of live literature events in Scotland\, she is also the author of two full-length and two pamphlet poetry collections\, two poetry/ theatre stage-shows\, and has produced commissioned work across poetry\, prose\, and theatre for numerous publications and institutions including The Dark Horse\, the Edinburgh International Book Festival\, the Irish Pages and the Daily Mail. Her film-poem The Imagined We won the inaugural John Byrne Award for Critical Thinking in 2020. Hounded is her debut non-fiction book. \nKate Clanchy was first published by Picador in 1996. In the following 25 years she won a Forward Prize for Poetry\, a Somerset Maugham and Saltire Award\, the National Short Story Prize and  VS Pritchett Award\, the Writer’s Guild Award and Orwell Prize among many others. In 2018 Picador published England\, Poems from a School\, an anthology of her school pupils’ poetry\, to great acclaim. In 2021 Picador apologised  for ‘the emotional anguish experienced’ by people reading her best-selling teaching memoir\, Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me\, and subsequently depublished all her books. Kate is currently working out why and enjoying the experience of being published by Swift Press. \nMatthew Hamilton is a literary agent and the founder of the Hamilton Agency which represents serious and popular non-fiction\, with a particular interest in political writing from across the ideological spectrum\, music\, literary memoir\, biography\, football and entertainment. Recent bestsellers include The War on the West by Douglas Murray\, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning by Nigel Biggar\, An Immigrant’s Love Letter To The West by Konstantin Kisin and The New Puritans by Andrew Doyle. \nIn-person tickets: \n£10 for FSU members. \n£15 for members of the public. \nPre-order HOUNDED: Women\, Harms and the Gender Wars by Jenny Lindsay for only £10.50 at check-out\, for collection and signing on the night or order it to be delivered (UK only)for £14.50 using this link [to be added after 27/08/2024]. \nOnline tickets: (NON FSU MEMBERS) \nIf you can’t make it to London\, you can join online for £5. (FSU members can join free of charge\, using the link provided in FSU emails). You can order the book for UK delivery here. \nSPECIAL DINING OFFER \nThe Hippodrome invites you to enjoy a meal before or after the event at one of its restaurants. Show your confirmation email to staff to receive a 25% discount at Chop Chop or the Heliot Steakhouse. Both are rated ‘exceptional’ on Opentable\, with Heliot considered one of London’s very best steakhouses and Chop Chop by Four Seasons already hailed as one of the West End’s best Chinese restaurants only a year after launch. Please book here for Chop Chop or here for Heliot then show your confirmation email when you arrive at the restaurant. (Offer eligible only on Monday 14th October 2024.)
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/hounded-out-does-publishing-have-a-freedom-of-expression-problem/
LOCATION:Hippodrome\, London\, Little Newport Street\, London\, WC2H 7JH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Book Launches & Promotions
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240920T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240920T230000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240803T180625Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T135834Z
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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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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240912T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240912T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240726T160905Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240726T160905Z
UID:10000084-1726169400-1726178400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:THE WAR AGAINST THE PAST
DESCRIPTION:FSU BOOK LAUNCH \nThe War Against the Past \nWith Professor Frank Furedi and historian Professor Jonathan Clark  \nLondon and Online  \nTHURSDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER\, 7.30pm  \nA war is being waged against the Past. Whether it’s toppling statues\, decolonising the curriculum or erasing terms from our vocabulary\, a cultural crusade is underway designed to render the past toxic. It is condemned as enemy territory and has become the target of venomous hate. What is at stake in provoking such a strong sense of societal shame towards Western history?\n \nIn his latest book\, The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for its History\, Frank Furedi mounts a fierce defence of the past and calls for a fight back against the delegitimization of its ideals and accomplishments. Casting the past as a story of shame has become a taken-for granted outlook permeating the educational and cultural life of western society from the top down.  Its advocates may see it as a cultural imperative\, but a society that loses touch with its past will face a permanent crisis of identity. Squandering the wisdom provided by our historical inheritance means betraying humanity’s positive achievements. Challenging this great betrayal\, Furedi argues\, is one of the most important battles of our time.  \nJoin us to hear Professor Furedi introduce his book and discuss it with his eminent respondent\, historian Professor Jonathan Clark.   \nThe lecture\, response and Q and A will be followed by a book-signing and wine reception. \nCopies of The War Against the Past will be on sale on the night for £25 or you can purchase it in advance\, for collection on arrival\, at checkout along with your ticket\, for just £20.  \nAlternatively\, you can order a copy for UK delivery\, at £22\, using this link. \nAbout Professor Frank Furedi  \nAuthor of more than 26 books\, Frank Furedi’s studies have been devoted to an exploration of the cultural developments in western societies. In recent years he has published several studies on the impact of the Culture Wars on family life\, socialisation\, education and public life. He is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent.   \n  \nAbout Professor Jonathan Clark  \nEducated at Cambridge\, he was a Fellow of Peterhouse; at Oxford\, he was a Fellow of All Souls College. In the US he was a Visiting Professor at the Committee on Social Thought at Chicago\, and Hall Distinguished Professor of British History at the University of Kansas. His latest book is The Enlightenment: An Idea and its History (OUP).  \n  \nReviews of The War Against the Past:  \n“In this deeply researched and brilliantly written book\, Frank Furedi shines a light on what is at stake in the current war against the past. Young people\, deprived of their cultural heritage\, are left confused and alienated.  The achievements of human civilisation are trashed.  What remains\, if we do not stop this trend\, is nihilism and despair.  Furedi gives a clarion call to action.” Robert Tombs\, University of Cambridge \n“In this important book\, Frank Furedi explains and also refutes the abuse of History by all those who are trying to use the past to further their narrow\, ideological interests. Covering a wide range of issues in politics\, the arts\, language\, and identity\, this is a vital and timely defence of the objective study of the past and will be of relevance to everyone who values evidence and truth in our culture.” Lawrence Goldman\, St. Peter’s College\, Oxford  \n  \nCHAIR:  \nDr Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director of the Free Speech Union.  \nIN-PERSON TICKETS: FSU members £10. Non-FSU Members £15. Aged 25 and under £12. Ticket plus donation to the FSU £25. \nThe book will be on sale on the night for £25 or you can purchase it in advance\, for collection on arrival\, at checkout along with your ticket for just £20. \nAlternatively\, you can order a copy for UK delivery\, at £22\, using this link. \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.  \n  \n 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/the-war-against-the-past/
LOCATION:Cavendish Conference Centre\, 22 Duchess Mews\, London\, London\, W1G 9DT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Book Launches & Promotions,Guest Lectures
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240910T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240910T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240725T124318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240725T132340Z
UID:10000083-1725996600-1726005600@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:COMEDY UNLEASHED\, LONDON
DESCRIPTION:COMEDY UNLEASHED\, LONDON\nTuesday 10th September\, 7.30pm\nA night of free-thinking comedy with comedians who don’t self-censor. \nAdam Bloom \nAdam is a whip-sharp comic and author of ‘Finding You Comedy Genius’ and producer of three series of his own Radio 4 show\, The Problem with Adam Bloom. You have to see this guy. \nTania Edwards \nTania is an utterly middle-class sceptic of middle-class sensibilities\, empty-headed fads and groupthink. She is a super popular comic at the London Comedy Unleashed club. \nMiriam Elia  \nMiriam is our greatest satirical artist. She is the author of spoof Ladybird style children’s books  We Do Lockdown\, We See the Sights and many more\, as well as films and cuttingly brilliant works of art. \nJay Mack \nRecovering human with a dark\, surreal take on life. \nHarri Dhillon \nHarri Dhillon has been sharing his deliciously dark sense of humour on the stand-up scene for the past four years\, including beating notorious gong shows at The Comedy Store\, and Up The Creek. He was also accepted into the BBC Writersroom\, has written for the likes of Radio 4 and the London fringe theatre scene. \nDominic Frisby \nDominic is a libertarian version of Billy Bragg (with a sense of humour). He tells jokes\, he sings songs and he will be our excellent compere for the evening. Creator of internet sensation ’17 million f*** offs’ and writer of hilarious songs that satirise our bonkers culture\, including the recent ‘Gonna Mary Gary’. Here are some videos of Dominic at the London club \nWhy Comedy Unleashed? \nAndrew Doyle: \n“Andy Shaw and I set up Comedy Unleashed because we feel that the time is right for a new alternative comedy movement. We book comics from all political backgrounds\, or those who have no interest in politics at all. Our key criteria is that they are talented and funny. ” \nDetails \nDoors open 6pm. Food is available from 6.30pm. Show starts 7.30pm and finishes at 10pm. Artists on the bill may change. Ticket buyers will be added to the Comedy Unleashed email newsletter. You’re free to unsubscribe at any time. \nComedy Unleashed nights are not just a great night out and a light relief from the monoculture\, they are also a good chance to meet up with fellow free speech supporters. \nBring your friends! \nGET YOUR TICKETS HERE. \nFree Speech Union members\, supporters and friends get 10% off by adding the code provided in FSU newsletters to the ‘discount code’ box at checkout.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/comedy-unleashed-london/
LOCATION:The Backyard Comedy Club\, 231 Cambridge Heath Rd\, London\, E2 0EL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Live Comedy Specials
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240906T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240906T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240725T123102Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240815T104926Z
UID:10000082-1725649200-1725660000@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:COMEDY UNLEASHED\, LEEDS
DESCRIPTION:COMEDY UNLEASHED\, LEEDS\nFriday 6th September\, 7pm\nContinuing on their roll of sold-out events\, Comedy Unleashed are returning to Leeds. Having consistently sold out shows in London for the past 6 years\, Comedy Unleashed brings its refreshing brand of free-speech stand-up comedy to the The Hi-Fi Club\, 2 Central Road\, Leeds. \nThe no holds-barred line-up includes: \n\nFreddy Quinne\nNeel Kolhatkar\nBen Adams and\nMC Bruce Devlin\n\n  \nComedy Unleashed nights are not just a great night out and a light relief from the monoculture\, they are also a good chance to meet up with fellow free speech supporters. \nBring your friends! \n GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. \nFree Speech Union members\, supporters and friends get 10% off by adding the code provided in FSU newsletters to the ‘discount code’ box at checkout. \nThey can’t stop us laughing (at them!) 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/comedy-unleashed-leeds/
LOCATION:The Hi-Fi Club\, Leeds 2 Central Road\, Leeds\, LS1 6DE
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240905T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240905T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240725T120710Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240803T183658Z
UID:10000081-1725562800-1725573600@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:COMEDY UNLEASHED\, MANCHESTER
DESCRIPTION:COMEDY UNLEASHED\, MANCHESTER\nThursday 5th September\, 7pm\nFollowing the success of its first sold out event in the city\, we are delighted to announce that Comedy Unleashed are returning to Manchester. Having consistently sold out shows in London for the past 6 years\, Comedy Unleashed brings its refreshing brand of free-speech stand-up comedy to the Impossible Club\, 36 Peter Street\, Manchester. \nThe no holds-barred line-up includes: \n\nFreddy Quinn\nNeel Kolhatkar\nBen Adams and\nMC Bruce Devlin\n\n  \nComedy Unleashed nights are not just a great night out and a light relief from the monoculture\, they are also a good chance to meet up with fellow free speech supporters. \nBring your friends! \nGET YOUR TICKETS HERE. \nFree Speech Union members\, supporters and friends get 10% off by adding the code provided in FSU newsletters to the ‘discount code’ box at checkout. \nThey can’t stop us laughing (at them!) 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/comedy-unleashed-manchester-2/
LOCATION:Lloyd Street Bar\, Lloyd Street Bar\, 22 Lloyd Street\, Manchester\, M2 5WA\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240904T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240904T210000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240827T142904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240905T152248Z
UID:10000088-1725478200-1725483600@freespeechunion.org
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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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240904T083000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240904T093000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240827T122239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240828T152731Z
UID:10000087-1725438600-1725442200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:THE WAR ON FREE SPEECH GOES GLOBAL
DESCRIPTION:THE WAR ON FREE SPEECH GOES GLOBAL\nEXCLUSIVE ONLINE EVENT: UK FSU Members will receive the link to join in member emails. \nWednesday 4th September\, please note\, this take place at 8.30am (UK time). \nFSU members are warmly invited to attend the first online meeting of the International Association of Free Speech Unions\, an alliance of Free Speech Unions in the UK\, New Zealand\, Australia and South Africa. The unions’ directors will discuss the remarkable similarity between the threats to free speech across the English-speaking world. \nAs New Zealand FSU Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling said at its launch in July 2024: \n“The English-speaking West has led the world in championing the idea that all individuals must be free to speak. This idea has contributed to peaceful\, stable\, and prosperous countries. Yet this freedom is under threat by both domestic and international opponents. The International Association of Free Speech Unions (IAFSU) will support the work of established FSUs\, and enable others to be founded. \nWhile remaining as independent organisations\, the cooperation of Free Speech Unions through the IAFSU will ensure we are each able to champion everyone’s right to speak freely domestically and respond to threats that emerge internationally. \nOur would-be-censors are on notice; anti-free speech bullies have a fight on their hands.” \n\n\nFor those unable to join this early morning call\, a video of the discussion will be published after the event.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/the-war-on-free-speech-goes-global/
LOCATION:Online Event: Zoom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240722T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240722T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240604T135047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240604T135047Z
UID:10000080-1721676600-1721687400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Secrets\, Suppression and Authoritarianism
DESCRIPTION: Secrets\, Suppression and Authoritarianism  \n with Andrew Gold and Winston Marshall \nMonday 22nd July\, 7.30pm \nLola’s Bar\, Lower Ground Floor\, The Hippodrome\, Main Entrance\, London WC2H 7JH \nAlthough our culture is one in which authenticity is apparently highly prized\, where we are encouraged to ‘speak our truth’ and ‘bring our whole selves to work’\, we all know that things are not as they seem. While those who hold views that align with the new codes and conventions feel free to express themselves\, those of a more questioning disposition have become used to sharing their views only with extreme caution. Dissenters have become used to secret meetings\, anonymous forums and negotiating the risk of being ‘outed’. Stories about words becoming taboo overnight and new ones being imposed upon us are reported every day and in workplaces and civic life\, people are having to work out when to comply and when to stand their ground.  \n  \nThankfully\, there does still seem to be space for heretics who hold to unfashionable truths\, but what are the consequences for the rest of us of failing to speak our minds\, of keeping our true opinions a secret and of suppressing our consciences? What happens in a society where speaking your mind becomes ever more risky? What is the effect of this culture of secrecy and cognitive dissonance?   \n  \nWe have two fantastic speakers to help us explore the significance of secrets\, suppression and authoritarianism: Andrew Gold and Winston Marshall.  \n  \nAndrew Gold is a journalist and YouTuber whose new book\, The Psychology of Secrets: My Adventures with Murderers\, Cults & Influencers\, takes a deep dive into the significance of secrets as a social phenomenon. Drawing on psychology\, history\, social science\, philosophy and personal interviews\, the book spans every aspect of secret-keeping from religious and cult leaders retaining mystique by keeping secrets from their followers to the psychology of confessing secrets to friends and strangers. The relationship between secrecy and power is explored from all directions\, in a fascinating read that sparks all kinds of insights into our contemporary predicament. Andrew has made documentaries around the world about extreme ideologies for the BBC & HBO and his YouTube channel\, Heretics\, has over 140\,000 subscribers.  \n  \nWinston Marshall is host of The Winston Marshall Show and co-founder of the Dissident Dialogues festival of ideas which took place recently in New York. Previously\, he was best known for his musical career\, in particular as co-founder of folk-rock band Mumford & Sons. In their fourteen years together\, the band won two Grammy Awards\, two Brit Awards\, an Ivor Novello and performed with the likes of Bob Dylan\, Bruce Springsteen\, Neil Young\, Willie Nelson and Elton John. Winston has direct experience of the darkness of cancel culture. He left Mumford & Sons in 2021 when a tweet he posted complimenting journalist Andy Ngo’s book Unmasked\, an investigation into the workings of so-called ‘anti-fascist’ movement antifa\, resulted in a decidedly fascist-like campaign to cancel him. Since then\, Winston’s written work has been published by The Free Press\, The Jewish Chronicle\, The Spectator\, The Daily Mail. In 2021 he co-founded Hong Kong Link Up\, a not-for-profit organisation helping Hongkonger asylum seekers settle and assimilate in the UK.  \n\n\n\n\n\nThere will\, of course\, be plenty of time for audience Q and A. \nThere will be a book-signing and social after the formal part of the evening. \nIn-person tickets: \n£10 for FSU members \n£15 for members of the public \nPre-order The Psychology of Secrets: My adventures with murderers\, cults and influencers by Andrew Gold for only £14 at check-out\, for collection and signing on the night. \nOnline tickets \nIf you can’t make it to London\, you can join online for £5. (FSU members can join free of charge\, using links provided in FSU emails). Order the book online\, for UK delivery only\, for £18. \nSPECIAL DINING OFFER \nThe Hippodrome invites you to enjoy a meal before or after the event at one of its restaurants. Show your confirmation email to staff to receive a 25% discount at Chop Chop or the Heliot Steakhouse. Both are rated ‘exceptional’ on Opentable\, with Heliot considered one of London’s very best steakhouses and Chop Chop by Four Seasons already hailed as one of the West End’s best Chinese restaurants only a year after launch. Please book here for Chop Chop or here for Heliot then show your confirmation email when you arrive at the restaurant. (Offer eligible only on Monday 22nd July 2024.) \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFrequently asked questions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDo I need to print my ticket?\n\n\n\n\n\nNo\, we will have a registration list on the door\, including details of all pre-ordered books.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCan under-18s come?\n\n\n\n\n\nNo\, the venue is strictly for over-18s only and you are advised to bring physical ID\, regardless of your age.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIs the venue accessible?\n\n\n\n\n\nYes\, there is entrance via a lift. Please see here for details: https://www.hippodromecasino.com/accessibility/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow can I get a copy of Andrew Gold’s book?\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you pre-order the book when you buy your in-person ticket\, you will pay only £14 for the book. Alternatively\, you can order a copy for £18 and have it posted to a UK address.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCan I get my book signed on the night?\n\n\n\n\n\nYes\, Andrew will be signing books from 9pm.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCan I eat at the venue?\n\n\n\n\n\nYes\, the Hippodrome invites you to enjoy a meal before or after the event at one of its restaurants. Show your confirmation email to staff to receive a 25% discount at Chop Chop or the Heliot Steakhouse. (Offer eligible only on Monday 22nd July 2024.)
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/secrets-suppression-and-authoritarianism/
LOCATION:Hippodrome\, London\, Little Newport Street\, London\, WC2H 7JH\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240709T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240709T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240520T194823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240520T194823Z
UID:10000079-1720553400-1720562400@freespeechunion.org
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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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240626T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240626T210000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240508T212448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240618T102455Z
UID:10000078-1719430200-1719435600@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:The New Taboos of Diversity\, Equity and Inclusion
DESCRIPTION:The New Taboos of Diversity\, Equity and Inclusion  \nWith Professor Eric Kaufmann author of How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution  \nWednesday 26th June\, 7.30pm  \nIn London and Online  \nHave we reached peak ‘woke’? Recent events in academia\, business and public debate suggests the tide is turning. Wrong\, Eric Kaufmann argues. True\, the energy behind cancel culture has peaked. But DEI-fuelled ‘cultural socialism’ – which advocates harsh restrictions on free speech\, due process and national symbols in order to reduce psychological harm and bolster the esteem of formerly marginalized groups – is set to maintain and perhaps even increase its power\, with younger generations increasingly intolerant of differing perspectives. Why? \nBy tracing its origins to the sacralization of historically disadvantaged race\, gender and sexual identity groups which began in the mid-sixties Kaufmann identifies how cultural socialism was taken up with enthusiasm by well-meaning left-liberals\, whose ‘minorities good\, majorities threatening’ lens on the world obscured this ideology’s illiberal implications.  \nDrawing on extensive studies of changing cultural attitudes he shows how\, over time\, the emotional power of this taboo extended as the zone of the sacred expanded to include innocuous ‘microaggressions’\, creating the illiberal climate we see today. Its rise suppresses the free debate that makes effective policy-making possible\, harming the minorities cultural socialists purport to help. Only if we shift from encouraging minority fragility to building minority resilience and use state power to check institutional illiberalism\, can we restore cultural freedom. \nIn better understanding this taboo Kaufmann also offers solutions – and a better vision of how humans – all of us – can flourish.  \nProfessor Kaufmann will open with a short lecture\, followed by a response from Thomas Harris\, the FSU’s Director of Data and Impact and author of the report\, The EDI Tax: How Equity\, Diversity and Inclusion are Hobbling British Businesses. Tom also co-hosts the FSU’s weekly podcast\, That’s Debatable! \nYou can pre-order TABOO: How Making Race Sacred Created a Cultural Revolution at checkout for collection on the night\, to be signed by Professor Kaufmann\, or you can purchase it online with free UK delivery here. \n  \nVENUE: The Hall\, The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London WC1N 3AT  \nTIME: Event starts 7.30pm (doors open 7pm\, please arrive by 7.15pm).  \nFREE GLASS OF WINE ON ARRIVAL.  \nIN-PERSON TICKETS:  FSU members £10. Non-FSU Members £16. 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.  \nZOOM OPTION: £5 (Free to FSU members. Please register using the Zoom link supplied in FSU newsletters and emails.)  \nFor free and discounted tickets to FSU events\, consider joining the Free Speech Union today.  \n————  \n Dr Eric Kaufmann is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. A native of Vancouver\, British Columbia\, he was born in Hong Kong and spent eight early years in Tokyo. His previous books include Whiteshift and Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?  \nAdvance praise for Taboo  \n‘Taboo is a courageous and intellectually convincing book. It is an original analysis of the debilitating pandemic that has been sweeping Western culture and politics\, commonly called ‘wokeism’ but which Kaufman calls ‘cultural socialism’. He roots it convincingly in a century of radical liberalism. At the same time Taboo is a call to action and a programme for change. All those worried by the devastation being caused by this baleful phenomenon should read this book. So should those who dismiss ‘culture wars’ as unimportant and ‘wokeism’ as innocuous.’ Robert Tombs\, professor of history\, University of Cambridge.  \n  \n‘Eric Kaufmann offers an important contribution to our understanding of the Culture Wars that envelop the Western World. He provides a unique and profound analysis of the woke phenomenon. Unlike many authors who merely indict and complain about cancel culture\, Kaufmann outlines an approach for fighting back and defeating it. Read this book and join the fight back.’ Frank Furedi\, professor emeritus\, University of Kent. 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/the-new-taboos-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240606T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240606T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240507T082904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240507T082904Z
UID:10000076-1717700400-1717713000@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Comedy Unleashed Manchester
DESCRIPTION:Andrew Doyle brings Comedy Unleashed to Manchester on Thursday 6th June.\n\nHaving consistently sold out shows in London for the past 6 years\,Comedy Unleashed brings its refreshing brand of free-speech stand-up comedy to the Impossible Club\, 36 Peter Street\, Manchester on Thursday 6th June.\n\nThe no holds-barred line-up includes:\n\n\nAndrew Doyle – co-founder of Comedy Unleashed\, producer and host of Free Speech Nation and Headliners on GB News\nJosh Howie  – regular panellist on GB News’s Headliners\, and wonderful story teller.\nElaine Miller – Scottish women’s rights campaigner and stand-up comedian\nFrancis Foster – co-host of TRIGGERnometry and our compere for the evening.\n\n\n\n\nComedy Unleashed nights are not just a great night out and a light relief from the monoculture\, they are also a good chance to meet up with fellow sceptics and free speech supporters.\nIf this show sells out\, we will organise regular Comedy Unleashed nights in Manchester. Bring your friends!\n\nFree Speech Union members\, supporters and friends get 10% off using the code freespeech here https://fatso.ma/ZMXh\n\nThey can’t stop us laughing (at them!)
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/comedy-unleashed-manchester/
LOCATION:Lloyd Street Bar\, Lloyd Street Bar\, 22 Lloyd Street\, Manchester\, M2 5WA\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240603T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240603T210000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240508T173359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240508T173359Z
UID:10000077-1717443000-1717448400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Online Speakeasy: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History.
DESCRIPTION:Online Speakeasy: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History \nMonday 3rd June\, 7.30pm  \nOn Zoom. \nJoin FSU General Secretary Toby Young in conversation with award-winning US writer Nellie Bowles as they discuss her new book\, Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History.  \nIn the book\, Bowles takes readers inside the world of the elite woke to paint a devastating portrait of a cultural ideology gone awry. With irreverent accounts of attending Robin DiAngelo’s multi-day course on ‘The Toxic Trends of Whiteness\,’ meeting the social justice activists who run ‘Abolitionist Entertainment\, LLC\,’ and navigating the increasingly deranged world of the New York Times\, she deftly exposes the more comic excesses of wealthy progressives. Reporting from the tent cities of San Francisco and visiting Portland streets ravaged by violence\, she reveals the tragic consequences of their hypocrisy.  \nNellie Bowles is a writer living in Los Angeles. Previously\, she was a correspondent at the New York Times where\, as part of a team\, she won the Gerald Loeb Award in the investigative category and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award. Now she is working with her wife to build The Free Press\, a new media company.  \nFSU members can join the event live\, free of charge\, using the link provided in member emails. If you’re not a member\, JOIN TODAY to gain free access to all online events.  \nYou can purchase the book (for UK delivery only) at a discounted rate of £18 here.  \n 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/online-speakeasy-dispatches-from-the-wrong-side-of-history/
LOCATION:Online Event: Zoom
CATEGORIES:Book Launches & Promotions
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240529T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240529T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240225T205853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240524T105559Z
UID:10000072-1717011000-1717018200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Science Under Pressure: Restoring Public Confidence.  Science\, Scepticism and Free Speech series
DESCRIPTION:SCIENCE\, SCEPTICISM and FREE SPEECH  \nThe Free Speech Union is delighted to host a series of lectures and discussions in partnership with  Sense About Science\, an independent charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence.  \nCritical thinking\, open inquiry and the freedom to question have been fundamental to the development of the scientific method and the expansion of knowledge. The ideal of objectivity and the goal of truth require the discipline to abstract itself from individuals\, from interests and from sentiment\, all of which may explain why science is always subject to pressures on its integrity.  \nSCIENCE\, SCEPTICISM and FREE SPEECH is a unique series of three events – two lectures from eminent scientists and a final session bringing together public figures concerned with the relationship between science\, the public and democratic decision-making. Each session will include plenty of time for audience Q and A.  \nYou are welcome to attend the entire series or individual events. It will also be possible to join online.  \nIn-person tickets for each event are £10 for FSU Members\, £16 for members of the public\, £12 for under-25s.   \nTickets include a glass of wine on arrival.  \nZoom option: FSU Members can join free of charge (please see member emails)\,  others pay £5 per event.  \n  \nSESSION THREE \nScience Under Pressure: Restoring Public Confidence  \nWednesday 29th May\, 7.30pm \nIn-person tickets \nPublic online tickets (FSU Members should register using links provided in FSU emails). \nIn this concluding conversation\, our two speakers\, Tracey Brown\, Director of Sense about Science\, and Toby Young\, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Sceptic\, will reflect on the issues raised in the earlier lectures and debate how the relationship between science and the public might be improved. When does healthy scepticism become a refusal to accept well-evidenced truth? How can we uphold science without succumbing to ‘scientism’? How can the public distinguish between relevant expertise and those who merely have strong opinions and loud voices?  \n  \nAbout our speakers  \nTracey Brown OBE is the director of Sense about Science\, where she has turned the case for sound science and evidence into popular campaigns\, including AllTrials\, a global campaign for the reporting of all clinical trial outcomes. Tracey leads Sense about Science’s work on transparency of decisions\, to ensure the public has access to the same evidence as decision-makers. This has included drafting the Principles for the Treatment of Independent Scientific Advice\, and the Transparency of Evidence framework\, now internationally emulated. In 2022 she led the What Counts? inquiry\, and a national survey of the public’s experience of policy information during the pandemic\, calling for all policy announcements to meet an evidence transparency standard. Tracey is honorary Professor\, Science\, Technology and Engineering in Public Policy at UCL.   \n   \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. He was formerly an Associate Editor of Quillette and is the author or co-author of three peer reviewed academic articles.  \n  \n 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/science-under-pressure-restoring-public-confidence-science-scepticism-and-free-speech-series/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Guest Interviews,Partner Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240513T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240513T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240405T123816Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240507T194901Z
UID:10000075-1715628600-1715639400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Is It Time to Get Over the Rainbow?
DESCRIPTION:  \nFrom Gay Liberation to LGBTQ+ Conformity — Is It Time to Get Over the Rainbow?  \nMonday 13th May\, 7.30pm  \nFree Speech Union in partnership with LGB Alliance  \nLola’s Bar\, Lower Ground Floor\, The Hippodrome\, Main Entrance\, London WC2H 7JH.  \nOnly a few years ago\, it seemed that the fight for gay rights was won — legal equality achieved and prejudice rapidly dying out. But the pursuance by activist organisations of a ‘queer’ agenda which brooks ‘no debate’ threatens to destabilise the gains of past decades.   \nMany of the highest profile free speech cases in recent years have centred on challenging the imposition of LGBTQ+ ideology in workplaces\, institutions and civic life. Amongst those leading the pushback and defending free speech for all have been lesbian women and gay men who first earned their activist spurs fighting for equal rights. But the new LGBTQ+ conformity also entraps individuals of a conservative or religious disposition who disagree with gay marriage and do not accept homosexuality — a number of whom have been driven from employment and public life for the expression of their views — and they too have had to make afresh the case for freedom of belief and freedom of speech.  \nIn his new book\, Gay Shame: The Rise of Gender Ideology and the New Homophobia\, Gareth Roberts sets out to understand what has gone wrong. As he puts it\,   \n‘I didn’t anticipate the gay rights movement to transmogrify into a cross between the Church of Scientology\, Heathers and Act 4 of The Crucible’.   \nThis view is echoed by Kate Harris\, co-founder of LGB Alliance when she says\,  \n‘It is a mystery to me how what started out as a brilliant and progressive programme went so badly wrong. Stonewall has created an environment where you either toe their line or you are a transphobic bigot’.  \nComedian\, writer and presenter Andrew Doyle likens gender ideologues to religious fundamentalists who ‘share the deeply conservative view that gender nonconformity is a problem that requires intervention.’  \nTo celebrate the publication of GAY SHAME\, we will bring together Gareth Roberts\, Kate Harris and Andrew Doyle to discuss what happened to the funny\, grown-up culture and truth-telling of gay culture and to understand how and why the older gay rights activism\, which gifted such progress to homosexual people\, was hijacked.  \nThere will\, of course\, be plenty of time for audience Q and A.   \nSo do join the FSU and LGB Alliance for this special event\, to prove that the era of ‘no debate’ is well and truly over. Gareth’s book will be on sale on the night and he will be signing copies after the panel discussion. A welcome drink is included in the ticket price and there will be a social after the formal part of the evening.  \nIf you can’t make it to London\, FSU members and LGB Alliance core supporters can join online\, free of charge.  \n  \nIn-person tickets: \n£10 for FSU members and LGB Alliance core supporters  \n£15 for members of the public  \nPre-order Gay Shame: The Rise of Gender Ideology and the New Homophobia by Gareth Roberts at check-out\, for collection and signing on the night for £12.  \n  \nZOOM OPTION:  \nFree and exclusive to all FSU members and LGB Alliance core supporters — link to register provided in FSU and LGB Alliance emails.  \nYou can also buy a signed copy of GAY SHAME at a discounted price of £15\, including UK delivery\, if pre-ordered before Sunday 12th May. Link to purchase provided in FSU and LGB Alliance emails.  \n  \nAbout our speakers   \nGareth Roberts is a writer and journalist. He has a weekly column in the Spectator and writes regular pieces for UnHerd and Spiked. His television writing credits include Coronation Street\, Emmerdale\, Doctor Who\, and many others.   \nKate Harris is a lifelong feminist and lesbian activist. In her professional life\, she worked as vice president global relationship management in Corporate Services for American Express but she also worked at Brighton Women’s Aid and is a former volunteer fundraiser for Stonewall. When Stonewall added the ‘T’ to ‘LGB’\, having promised to lesbian supporters that they would not\, Kate challenged Stonewall’s management to debate the issues. Their now notorious response was – ‘no debate’. She was co-founder\, in 2019\, of LGB Alliance\, a charity that supports lesbian\, gay and bisexual people by building community\, providing high quality information\, being a source of inspiration for people who feel marginalised and seeking to influence Government and decision makers to prioritise the needs and rights of same-sex attracted people.  \n  \nAndrew Doyle is a broadcaster\, writer and comedian. He is the author of Free Speech and Why It Matters and The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World.  He is the creator of the satirical character Titania McGrath\, whose show ‘Mxnifesto’ ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End.  Andrew has written two books under Titania’s name: Woke: A Guide to Social Justice and My First Little Book of Intersectional Activism.  He was formerly a panellist on the BBC’s Moral Maze and currently presents ‘Free Speech Nation’ and ‘Headliners’ on GB News.   \n 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/is-it-time-to-get-over-the-rainbow/
LOCATION:Hippodrome\, London\, Little Newport Street\, London\, WC2H 7JH\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240501T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240501T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
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=Europe/London:20240424T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240424T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240225T204813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240328T152320Z
UID:10000071-1713987000-1713994200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:How We Learned to Question Medicine. Science\, Scepticism and Free Speech series
DESCRIPTION:SCIENCE\, SCEPTICISM and FREE SPEECH  \nThe Free Speech Union is delighted to host a series of lectures and discussions in partnership with  Sense About Science\, an independent charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence.  \nCritical thinking\, open inquiry and the freedom to question have been fundamental to the development of the scientific method and the expansion of knowledge. The ideal of objectivity and the goal of truth require the discipline to abstract itself from individuals\, from interests and from sentiment\, all of which may explain why science is always subject to pressures on its integrity.  \nSCIENCE\, SCEPTICISM and FREE SPEECH is a unique series of three events – two lectures from eminent scientists and a final session bringing together public figures concerned with the relationship between science\, the public and democratic decision-making. Each session will include plenty of time for audience Q and A.  \nYou are welcome to attend the entire series or individual events. It will also be possible to join online.  \nIn-person tickets for each event are £10 for FSU Members\, £16 for members of the public\, £12 for under-25s.   \nTickets include a glass of wine on arrival.  \nZoom option: FSU Members can join free of charge\, others pay £5 per event.  \nLECTURE TWO \nHow We Learned to Question Medicine  \nWednesday 24th April\, 7.30pm \nIn-person tickets \nPublic online tickets (FSU Members should register using links provided in FSU emails). \nWith Professor Paul Garner\, professor emeritus in Evidence Synthesis in Global Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.   \nProfessor Garner will argue that scepticism is integral to good science and make the case for using the tools of science to hold authority to account. Building on the themes of Professor Sokal’s first lecture\, Professor Garner will share noteworthy examples where an insistence on robust evidence and research has led not only to scientific breakthroughs but to the exposure of malpractice.  \n  \nAbout our speaker  \n Professor Garner stepped back from full-time employment in 2022 but continues as emeritus. He supports academic staff carrying out systematic reviews on infectious diseases\, developing further research on post-viral syndrome\, and continued collaborative work in developing guideline methods. He was previously Coordinator of the Centre for Evidence Synthesis in Global Health\, Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group\, and Director of the Research\, Evidence and Development Initiative. Professor Garner is also on the Board of Trustees of Sense about Science. 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/how-we-learned-to-question-medicine-science-scepticism-and-free-speech-series/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Guest Lectures,Partner Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240415T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240415T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240314T100518Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T100643Z
UID:10000073-1713209400-1713220200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:LIONEL SHRIVER in conversation with Toby Young
DESCRIPTION:In conversation: LIONEL SHRIVER and Toby Young\nDATE: Monday 15th April\, 2024 \nCome along for a very special FSU Speakeasy in a great venue\, to hear author LIONEL SHRIVER in conversation with FSU General Secretary Toby Young. They will discuss Lionel’s new book\, MANIA. \nIn a reality not too distant from our own\, the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold and the worst thing you can call someone is ‘stupid’. Everyone is equally clever\, and discrimination based on intelligence is ‘the last great civil rights fight’. \nExams and grades are all discarded\, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don’t need a qualification to be a doctor. \nBest friends since adolescence\, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory – who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought – makes increasingly hard-line statements while\, for her part\, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous. \nAs their friendship fractures\, Pearson’s determination to cling onto the ‘old\, bigoted way of thinking’ begins to endanger her job\, her safety and even her family. \nLionel turns her piercing gaze on the policing of opinion and intellect\, and imagines a world in which intellectual meritocracy is heresy. Hilarious\, deadpan\, scathing and at times frighteningly plausible\, MANIA will delight the many fans of her fiction and journalism alike. \nThere will\, of course\, be an audience Q and A. \nVENUE: Lola’s Bar\, Lower Ground Floor\, The Hippodrome\, Main Entrance\, London WC2H 7JH. \nTIME: 7pm doors open. 7.30pm until 9pm conversation and Q & A\, followed by book signing and social until 10.30pm. \nStrictly over-18s only. Physical photographic I.D. must be provided on entry (photographs on devices will not suffice). \nTicket-holders only. \nIN-PERSON TICKETS (WELCOME DRINK INCLUDED): \nFSU Members: £10 \nNon FSU Members Entrance only: £15 \nPurchase MANIA with your ticket and collect on the night: £16 \nPurchase MANIA on the night: £20 (RRP is £22) \nZOOM OPTION: \nFree and exclusive to all FSU members — link to register provided in FSU newsletters. \nFSU members can also buy a signed copy of MANIA at a discounted price\, including UK delivery\, of £20\, if pre-ordered before Sunday 14th April. Link to purchase provided in FSU newsletters. \nAbout our speakers: \nAlthough LIONEL SHRIVER has published many novels\, a collection of essays\, and a column in the Spectator since 2017\, and her journalism has featured in publications including the Guardian\, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal\, she in no way wishes for the inclusion of this information to imply that she is more ‘intelligent’ or ‘accomplished’ than anyone else. The outdated meritocracy of intellectual achievement has made her a bestseller multiple times and accorded her awards including the Orange Prize\, but she accepts that all of these accidental accolades are basically meaningless. She lives in Portugal and Brooklyn\, New York. \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. He was formerly an Associate Editor of Quillette and is the author or co-author of a number of peer-reviewed academic articles. \nSPECIAL DINING OFFER \nThe Hippodrome invites you to enjoy a meal before or after the event at one of its restaurants. Show your confirmation email to staff to receive a 20% discount at Chop Chop or the Heliot Steakhouse. Both are rated ‘exceptional’ on Opentable\, with Heliot considered one of London’s very best steakhouses and Chop Chop by Four Seasons already hailed as one of the West End’s best Chinese restaurants only a year after launch. Please book here for Chop Chop or here for Heliot then show your confirmation email when you arrive at the restaurant. (Offer eligible only on Monday 15th April 2024.)
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/lionel-shriver-in-conversation-with-toby-young/
LOCATION:Hippodrome\, London\, Little Newport Street\, London\, WC2H 7JH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Book Launches & Promotions,Guest Interviews
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240327T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240327T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240225T204448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240328T152409Z
UID:10000070-1711567800-1711575000@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Lecture One: What is Science and Why Should We Care?  Science\, Scepticism and Free Speech series
DESCRIPTION:SCIENCE\, SCEPTICISM and FREE SPEECH  \nThe Free Speech Union is delighted to host a series of lectures and discussions in partnership with  Sense About Science\, an independent charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence.  \nCritical thinking\, open inquiry and the freedom to question have been fundamental to the development of the scientific method and the expansion of knowledge. The ideal of objectivity and the goal of truth require the discipline to abstract itself from individuals\, from interests and from sentiment\, all of which may explain why science is always subject to pressures on its integrity.  \nSCIENCE\, SCEPTICISM and FREE SPEECH is a unique series of three events – two lectures from eminent scientists and a final session bringing together public figures concerned with the relationship between science\, the public and democratic decision-making. Each session will include plenty of time for audience Q and A.  \nYou are welcome to attend the entire series or individual events. It will also be possible to join online.  \nIn-person tickets for each event are £10 for FSU Members\, £16 for members of the public\, £12 for under-25s.   \nTickets include a glass of wine on arrival.  \nZoom option: FSU Members can join free of charge\, others pay £5 per event.  \nLECTURE ONE \nWhat is Science and Why Should We Care?  \nWednesday 27th March\, 7.30pm \nIn-person TICKETS \nPublic online tickets (FSU Members should register using links provided in FSU emails). \nWith Professor Alan Sokal\, Professor of Mathematics\, University College London and Professor Emeritus of Physics\, New York University.  \nProfessor Sokal will draw out the unique contribution of the scientific method to human progress and address contemporary trends which threaten to undermine it\, in particular\, politicisation and censorship.   \nAbout our speaker  \nFamous for his 1996 hoax\, Professor Alan Sokal is one of the most powerful voices in the continuing debate about the status of evidence-based knowledge. He is co-author (with Jean Bricmont) of Intellectual Impostures: Postmodernist Philosophers’ Abuse of Science\, and author of Beyond the Hoax: Science\, Philosophy and Culture.  
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/lecture-one-what-is-science-and-why-should-we-care-science-scepticism-and-free-speech-series/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Guest Lectures,Partner Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240318T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240318T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240219T153139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240222T105954Z
UID:10000069-1710790200-1710797400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Race\, Identity Politics and the New Conformity.
DESCRIPTION:Race\, identity politics and the new conformity  \nDATE: Monday 18th March  \nVENUE: The Hall\, The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London WC1N 3AT  \nTIME: Event starts 7.30pm (doors open 7pm\, please arrive by 7.15pm).  \nFREE GLASS OF WINE ON ARRIVAL.  \nIN-PERSON TICKETS: FSU members £10. Non-FSU Members £16. Aged 25 and under £12. Discount tickets for Equiano Project Supporters (check emails for details). Ticket plus donation to the FSU £25.  \nTicket-holders only – NO NEED TO PRINT TICKETS\, WE’LL HAVE A LIST OF REGISTRANTS.  \nZOOM OPTION: Free to FSU members and Equiano Project Supporters (check emails for details).  Otherwise\, £10\, please register here. \nFor free and discounted tickets to FSU events\, consider joining the Free Speech Union today.  \n————  \nThe accusation ‘that’s racist’ has become one of the most powerful silencing tools in recent years\, yet we have never been so confused about what racism is. It has been thrown even at those avowedly opposed to racism and at people of colour\, insulted as ‘coconuts’\, ‘Uncle Toms’ or worse. Often\, the targets of the ‘racist’ slur are individuals who take issue with the new and bewildering orthodoxies of the new ‘anti-racist activism’ shaped by identity politics and ‘critical race theory’.  \nIt can sometimes seem as though contemporary ‘anti-racism’ has morphed into its opposite: from a movement for equal treatment and the transcendence of ‘race’ as a distorting prism through which to view the world\, to the formation of new hierarchies along the lines of racialised identities\, life experiences or even opinion.  \nThe launch of a new book\, Black Success: The Surprising Truth\, by Lord Tony Sewell\, a long-standing independent thinker on the subject of race\, provides us with an opportunity to discuss these developments. Lord Sewell’s book weaves together memoir and polemic to challenge the shibboleths of contemporary racialised thinking. He argues in favour of rejecting victimhood and low expectations and embracing high ambitions\, pushing towards a collective humanity. The book is the perfect riposte to the storm of criticism that met the Sewell Report on racial disparities.  \nThe book will be on sale on the night and Lord Sewell will be signing copies.  \nLord Sewell will be joined in discussion by journalist\, commentator and Equiano Project founder\, Inaya Folarin Iman and musician and champion of free speech and genuine equality\, Sean Corby.  \n  \nSpeakers  \nBorn in Brixton\, Lord Tony Sewell CBE has been a journalist\, teacher and education expert. He was part of the team responsible for driving the transformation of Hackney’s education outcomes in the early 2000s\, and his charity Generating Genius has helped hundreds of young black people into STEM in business and academia. He was recently chair of the UK’s government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities\, the recommendations of which are now the foundations of the government’s policy on tackling racial inequalities. He was awarded a CBE for his work on education and was elevated to the House of Lords in 2022. In 2022 he began his latest project\, a farming enterprise in Jamaica.  \n  \nInaya Folarin Iman is a broadcast journalist and contributing editor at the Daily Mail. She is a regular commentator across leading political and cultural radio and TV programmes. She is the Founder and Director of The Equiano Project\, a forum to promote freedom of speech and open dialogue on the subjects of race\, identity and culture. She co-programmed and co-designed the historic Towards the Common Good: Rethinking Race in the 21st Century at the University of Cambridge in 2023.  \n  \nSean Corby is a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble\, Gregory Isaacs\, Manic St Preachers\, Mica Paris\, and Jazz Warriors. Sean also worked as a conciliator for ACAS\, but\, after he posted articles and quotes on the staff intranet which challenged what he saw as the divisive racial politics of critical race theory\, some of his colleagues vilified him and his employer asked him to delete his contributions. Sean refused\, on principle\, and succeeded in establishing through a 2023 Employment Tribunal that a universalist\, colour-blind approach to anti-racism is a protected ‘philosophical belief’ under the Equality Act\, an important ruling for the protection of diversity of thought. You can read about Sean’s case here and subscribe to his blog here.  \nCHAIR:  \nDr Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director of the Free Speech Union.  \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/race-identity-politics-and-the-new-conformity/
LOCATION:The Art Workers’ Guild\, 6 Queen Square\, London\, WC1N 3AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Book Launches & Promotions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240304T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240304T203000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240208T114301Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T103034Z
UID:10000068-1709578800-1709584200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Online Book Launch with Abigail Shrier\, author of 'Irreversible Damage' and now\, 'Bad Therapy'.
DESCRIPTION:ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH: ABIGAIL SHRIER \nDATE: Monday 4th March\, 2024. \nTIME: 7pm\, GMT. \nVENUE: Zoom. \nTICKETS: Non-FSU Members can purchase an online ticket here. FSU Members should not use that link\, but instead use the link to register provided in Members-Only Weekly Newsletters and Events Updates. \nJOIN the Free Speech Union here to gain free access to the event. \nSPEAKERS: \nAbigail Shrier\, writer and author\, in conversation with Dr Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director\, the Free Speech Union and an academic sociologist of family life. \nWe are delighted to host the UK launch of Abigail Shrier’s new book\, Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up. \nMany of you will have read Abigail’s 2020 book\, Irreversible Damage: Teenage Girls and the Transgender Craze (UK title) and will have found its analysis of the explosion of ‘gender-questioning’ amongst adolescent girls profoundly insightful. On publication\, the book became the focus of cancellation campaigns by trans activists\, resulting in its temporary withdrawal from Target stores in the US\, resistance to its promotion from staff at Amazon and Spotify\, and even demands that it be burnt. Despite the book’s success\, publishers of foreign language translations of the book still bow to pressure to abandon the project\, most recently in Japan. \nUnderpinning Abigail’s work is a commitment to exploring significant new trends and taboos\, in particular where young people are concerned. In her new book\, she expands the lens to the younger generation as a whole\, asking whether the therapeutic approach towards the raising of children adopted over the past 20 or more years has done more harm than good. \nDescribed by the award-winning investigative journalist\, and author of Pharma\, Gerald Posner as a ‘dazzling combination of investigative reporting and storytelling’\, Bad Therapy opens up a dialogue about the questions many of us are trying to answer. \nHave the younger generation really turned against the hard-won freedoms of the past? Has the aspiration to grow up and achieve independence been abandoned by a ‘snowflake generation’? Who or what is responsible for the apparent gulf in values and personality norms between one generation and the next? \nAbigail Shrier is a writer for the Wall Street Journal. She holds an A.B. from Columbia College\, where she received the Euretta J. Kellett Fellowship; a BPhil. from the University of Oxford; and a J.D. from Yale Law School. \nYou can pre-order the book here.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/online-book-launch-with-abigail-shrier-author-of-irreversible-damage-and-now-bad-therapy/
LOCATION:Online Event: Zoom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240222T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240222T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20240125T170630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240208T123204Z
UID:10000067-1708628400-1708639200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Cambridge Speakeasy
DESCRIPTION:Net Zero or Not Zero: Can we debate climate change?\nThursday 22nd February\, 2024  \nPanel debate and Q and A from 7pm until 8.45pm\, social until 10pm.  \nThe Clayton Hotel\, Garden Suite\,  27-29 Station Road\, Cambridge\, CB1 2FB.  \n(A two-minute walk from Cambridge Station).  \nGET TICKETS: FSU Member £5. Non-FSU Member £10. Student £3.  \nPopular challenges to Net Zero targets are growing around the world. Most dramatically\, European farmers have blockaded city streets in their tractors\, but closer to home\, we have seen anti-ULEZ and anti-LTN protests taking place around the UK\, including Cambridge. But very often\, those who question national and global responses to climate change are traduced and stigmatised as ‘deniers’\, accused of being motivated by ignorance\, ideology or vested interests.   \nHow and why did the scientific study of climate become so politicised and why has this given rise to such rigid political and ideological orthodoxy?   \nThe launch\, in paperback\, of Ross Clark’s book Not Zero:  How an Irrational Target Will Impoverish You\, Help China (and Won’t Even Save the Planet) provides an ideal opportunity for these questions to be debated.  \nAbout the book: \n “devastating and detailed…compulsory reading for everybody in government and the media” Matt Ridley \n“a must-read for those involved in the climate debate” Emeritus Professor Michael Kelly\, former Prince Philip Professor of Technology at the University of Cambridge.  \nThe book will be on sale on the night and Ross will be signing copies.  \nOn Thursday 22nd February\, the Free Speech Union brings together a panel of speakers\, including Ross\, who insist that the science of climate change and policy responses to it must be open to debate and democratic accountability.  \nSpeakers confirmed so far:  \nRoss Clark is a prolific freelance journalist who is leader-writer on the Spectator as well as a columnist for the Telegraph\, Daily Mail and Express.  He is the author of several books including The Denial\, a satirical climate change novel\, and The War Against Cash. Follow Ross on X/Twitter: @RossjournoClark  \nHarry Wilkinson is head of policy at the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) and sister organisation Net Zero Watch. He is also a policy adviser to Craig Mackinlay MP\, who chairs the Net Zero Scrutiny Group in Parliament. Previously he was researcher to the late Nigel Lawson has written for a number of publications including CapX\, The Conservative Woman\, Global Vision and 1828. Follow Harry on X/Twitter: @HarryWilkinsonn  \nAustin Williams is the director of the Future Cities Project\, author of several books\, including “China’s Urban Revolution: Understanding Chinese Eco-cities”\, “Enemies of Progress: The Dangers of Sustainability”\, and co-author of “The Lure of the City: From Slums to Suburbs”. He is chair of Bookshop Barnies and has written for magazines as diverse as Nature\, Wired\, Top Gear\, South China Morning Post\, Metropolis\, Times Literary Supplement\, The Spectator and The Economist.. Follow Austin on X/ Twitter: @Future_Cities 
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/cambridge-speakeasy/
LOCATION:The Garden Suite\, Clayton Hotel Cambridge\, 27-29 Station Rd\,\, Cambridge\, Cambridge\, CB1 2FB
CATEGORIES:Book Launches & Promotions,Regional Speakeasies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://freespeechunion.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Copy-of-Free-Speech-The-Right-to-Protest-5.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240203T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240203T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231202T212029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240208T123516Z
UID:10000066-1706985000-1706997600@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Manchester Speakeasy
DESCRIPTION:HOW TO STAND UP FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THOUGHT \nDATE: Saturday 3rd February\, 2024 \nTIME: Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Live music from Sean Corby and Jonathan Enright at 7pm\, panel with Q & A starts 7.30pm\, social from 9pm. Ends 10pm. (Bar is card-only). \nVENUE: The Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\, Manchester\, M1 5BY. \nTICKETS: £5 for FSU members\, £8 for non-members\, £3 for students. \nSPEAKERS: \nToby Young\, general secretary of the Free Speech Union. \nDenise Fahmy\, co-director of Freedom in the Arts (FITA). \nSean Corby\, musician\, advocate for anti-racism and diversity of thought. \nJoin the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union\, Toby Young\, for an evening of conversation\, debate\, socialising and music. \nToby will be speaking to two heroes of the battle for free speech\, Denise Fahmy and Sean Corby. Both were supported by the Free Speech Union when they courageously challenged their employers\, proving in Employment Tribunals that views which challenge gender ideology and critical race theory are worthy of respect. By making a stand in defence of their beliefs they have succeeded in establishing in law that diversity of thought and freedom of speech must be protected in the workplace. \nSean is also a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble\, Gregory Isaacs\, Manic St Preachers\, Mica Paris\, and Jazz Warriors. We are delighted that he has agreed to play a short set from his repertoire with fellow musician\, Jonathan Enright. \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \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 (2001). 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. \nDenise Fahmy has 30 years’ experience in arts administration and development. She specialises in visual arts and for the past 15 years worked for Arts Council England as a Relationship Manager in the North of England. Denise worked at the Arts Council for more than 15 years and was the relationship manager for visual arts in the North of England. But she was subjected to harassment by fellow employees when she expressed gender critical beliefs in the context of a workplace meeting. The campaign against her culminated in a petition on the organisation’s online noticeboard in which her views were compared to racism and likened to a “cancer”. In June 2023\, Leeds Employment Tribunal found that the Arts Council had not adequately protected Denise from harassment. Her successful claim followed the precedent set by the 2021 court victory of Maya Forstater\, which established that the belief that there are two sexes is protected under the Equality Act 2010. The decision is here and Denise explains what happened to her here. \nSean Corby is a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble\, Gregory Isaacs\, Manic St Preachers\, Mica Paris\, and Jazz Warriors. Sean also worked as a conciliator for ACAS\, but\, after he posted articles and quotes on the staff intranet which challenged what he saw as the divisive racial politics of critical race theory\, some of his colleagues vilified him and his employer asked him to delete his contributions. Sean refused\, on principle\, and succeeded in establishing through a 2023 Employment Tribunal that a universalist\, colour-blind approach to anti-racism is a protected ‘philosophical belief’ under the Equality Act\, an important ruling for the protection of diversity of thought. You can read about Sean’s case here and subscribe to his blog here. \nSean will perform with Jonathan Enright. Jonathan was born and raised in Halifax\, West Yorkshire and studied trombone and piano at the Royal College of Music\, London. He has performed and recorded with many musicians\, including: Gregory Isaacs\, Dennis Brown\, Tito Allen\, Joe Bataan\, Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers\, Kathryn Williams\, Peggy Seeger\, Elbow\, Omar\, DJ Henry Fong\, The Disruptors. He leads\, plays and composes for successful Latin bands\, Grupo X and Orchestra Mambo International. \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/140585/
LOCATION:The Anthony Burgess Foundation\, 3 Cambridge Street\, Manchester\, Greater Manchester\, M1 5BY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Regional Speakeasies
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240126T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240126T220000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231202T210756Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T123042Z
UID:10000064-1706293800-1706306400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Belfast Speakeasy
DESCRIPTION:THE STATE OF FREE SPEECH IN NORTHERN IRELAND\nA Free Speech Union Speakeasy\, in association with the Battle of Ideas Festival.\nDATE: Friday 26th January\, 2024 \nTIME: Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Panel with Q & A\, 7pm until 8.30pm\, followed by social. Ends 10pm. \nVENUE: Drawing Office One and Pavilion Bar\, Titanic Hotel\, 8 Queens Road\, Belfast\, Northern Ireland\, BT3 9DT. \nTICKETS: £6 for FSU members\, £10 for non-members\, £3 for students. \nJoin us for the Free Speech Union’s first Northern Ireland Speakeasy. On Friday 26th January we’ll be hosting a stellar panel to consider The State of Free Speech in Northern Ireland\, covering everything from hate speech to press freedom\, from the attempted silencing of women’s rights campaigners to digital censorship and compelled speech. Organised in association with the Battle of Ideas festival\, the 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 \nToby Young\, general secretary of the Free Speech Union. \nStella O’Malley\, psychotherapist and writer. \nDavid Quinn\, journalist and commentator\, founder of The Iona Institute. \nJeffrey Dudgeon\, politician\, campaigner and author. \nElla Whelan\, journalist and author\, co-convenor the Battle of Ideas festival. \nSimon Chambers\, solicitor in the ‘TERFed Out’ case and ‘Sara Morrison vs Belfast Film Festival’. \n*Andrew Doyle has had to step down due to other commitments. \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. \nStella O’Malley is a psychotherapist\, writer\, public speaker and parent\, with many years’ experience working as a mental health professional. She has written several books\, Cotton Wool Kids\, Bully-Proof Kids\, Fragile and What Your Teen is Trying To Tell You and co-authored the recent When Kids Say They’re Trans. Born in Dublin\, Stella now lives in Co. Offaly with her husband and two children where she runs her private clinical practice. \nDavid Quinn has been a newspaper columnist in Ireland since 1994. Currently he writes a weekly column the Sunday Independent. His column has previously appeared in the Sunday Times (Ireland)\, the Irish Independent and the Sunday Business Post. He frequently appears on radio and television programmes and has contributed to numerous publications overseas\, including the Spectator and UnHerd. He has appeared on ‘Free Speech Nation’ with Andrew Doyle discussing free speech issues in the Republic of Ireland. He is founder and CEO of The Iona Institute. \nJeffrey Dudgeon has held office in the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association (NIGRA) since its foundation in 1975 and has led landmark campaigns for gay rights and personal freedom. He was awarded an MBE in the 2012 Honours List for “services to the lesbian\, gay\, bisexual and transgender community in Northern Ireland.” Between 2014 and 2019 he served as an Ulster Unionist Councillor to Belfast City Council and was chair of the council’s Diversity Working Group. He has written books on Roger Casement (2002) and H. Montgomery Hyde (2018). \nElla Whelan is a journalist and author of What Women Want: Fun\, Freedom and an End to Feminism. Ella is a columnist for spiked and regularly appears on TV and radio\, including ‘Question Time’\, ‘Today’\, Times Radio\, Sky News\, GMB\, GB News\, ‘Any Questions’\, ‘Moral Maze’\, ‘Politics Live’\, Channel 4 and others. She has written for The Critic\, New Statesman\, Telegraph\, Sunday Times\, The Economist\, the Irish Times\, the Sun\, Spectator. \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 no stranger to high profile litigation\, having made his name representing over 150 Northern Irish families\, who successfully recovered their money after investing in fraudulent Italian property schemes run by the Calabrian mafia and the IRA\, carving out an international reputation in this field. Always with his ear to the ground as to prevailing legal trends\, Simon enjoys the challenge of ground-breaking cases and attracts clients from far and wide to his door. Since taking on these two gender critical cases\, Simon’s interest of freedom of speech\, belief and expression have been greatly heightened and he has been declared an honorary ”TERF” by his clients! \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/140580/
LOCATION:Titanic Hotel\, Belfast\, Titanic Quarter\, 8 Queens Road\, Belfast\, Antrim\, BT3 9DT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Regional Speakeasies
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231220T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231220T223000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231005T120520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231005T120815Z
UID:10000059-1703098800-1703111400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:FSU Christmas Comedy Special 2023
DESCRIPTION:The FSU Christmas Comedy Special\nBOOK TICKETS HERE. \nWednesday 20th December\, please arrive by 7pm. \nBackyard Comedy Club\, Bethnal Green\, London \nRound up your comedy-loving friends and family for The FSU Christmas Special\, a one night only extravaganza of comedy with a fabulous line-up. \nIn association with Comedy Unleashed – the home of free-thinking comedy.  \nOur Master of Ceremonies for the evening is FSU favourite\, Dominic Frisby. Dominic will be joined on stage by Daniel O’Reilly\, Tania Edwards\, Alistair Williams and Triggernometry’s Francis Foster. \n  \nDominic Frisby \nDominic is a libertarian version of Billy Bragg (with a sense of humour). He tells jokes\, he sings songs and he will be our excellent compere for the evening. Creator of internet sensation ’17 million f*** offs’ and writer of hilarious songs that satirise our bonkers culture\, including the recent ‘Gonna Mary Gary’. \nDaniel O’Reilly \nDaniel had his ITV show cancelled back in 2014\, when he was known as Dapper Laughs. Recently he’s been selling out shows with his new stand-up comedy and been a special guest at the Tyson Fury after fight party at the O2. \nAlistair Williams  \nExcluded from most comedy clubs and banned from YouTube\, Alistair Williams is utterly counter-cultural and bloody hilarious. Alistair did a gig at the London club recently and we were inundated with requests to put him on again. Here’s clip of Alistair at the London club \nTania Edwards \nTania is an utterly middle-class sceptic of middle-class sensibilities and ‘right-thinking’ groupthink. She is a popular comic at the London Comedy Unleashed club. \nFrancis Foster \nFrancis is the co-host of popular YouTube and podcast TRIGGERNomentry and guest of GB New’s ‘Free Speech Nation’. He’s a top stand-up comic too. Here’s a clip of Francis at the London club \nJoin the fun with the FSU team and helps us raise funds to defend freedom of speech. \nTickets  \n£20 FSU member full price / £15 FSU member concessions  \n£25 non-member full price / £20 non-member concessions \nRefunds issued on a case-by-case basis. \nBackyard Comedy Club is only a 2-minute walk from Bethnal Green tube (Central line)\, 10 minutes from Whitechapel (District line\, Hammersmith & City line\, London Overground). Five minute walk from Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green Overground stations. \nBUS ROUTES \n254\, 106 & N253 – Outside Venue \n8\, 309\, 388\, D3\, D6 & N8 – 5 min walk \n25\, 26\, 48\, 55\, N26 & N55 – 10 min walk \nPARKING: \nStreet parking is available on Cambridge Heath Rd. (Pay & Display before 6.30pm) \nSAT NAV: \nUse – ‘Witan St’\, Bethnal Green\, London. E2
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/fsu-christmas-comedy-special-2023/
LOCATION:The Backyard Comedy Club\, 231 Cambridge Heath Rd\, London\, E2 0EL\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://freespeechunion.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20thDec2023_FSUEvent-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231202T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231202T170000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231202T212029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240208T123516Z
UID:10000065-1701504000-1701536400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Manchester Speakeasy
DESCRIPTION:HOW TO STAND UP FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THOUGHT \nDATE: Saturday 3rd February\, 2024 \nTIME: Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Live music from Sean Corby and Jonathan Enright at 7pm\, panel with Q & A starts 7.30pm\, social from 9pm. Ends 10pm. (Bar is card-only). \nVENUE: The Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\, Manchester\, M1 5BY. \nTICKETS: £5 for FSU members\, £8 for non-members\, £3 for students. \nSPEAKERS: \nToby Young\, general secretary of the Free Speech Union. \nDenise Fahmy\, co-director of Freedom in the Arts (FITA). \nSean Corby\, musician\, advocate for anti-racism and diversity of thought. \nJoin the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union\, Toby Young\, for an evening of conversation\, debate\, socialising and music. \nToby will be speaking to two heroes of the battle for free speech\, Denise Fahmy and Sean Corby. Both were supported by the Free Speech Union when they courageously challenged their employers\, proving in Employment Tribunals that views which challenge gender ideology and critical race theory are worthy of respect. By making a stand in defence of their beliefs they have succeeded in establishing in law that diversity of thought and freedom of speech must be protected in the workplace. \nSean is also a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble\, Gregory Isaacs\, Manic St Preachers\, Mica Paris\, and Jazz Warriors. We are delighted that he has agreed to play a short set from his repertoire with fellow musician\, Jonathan Enright. \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \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 (2001). 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. \nDenise Fahmy has 30 years’ experience in arts administration and development. She specialises in visual arts and for the past 15 years worked for Arts Council England as a Relationship Manager in the North of England. Denise worked at the Arts Council for more than 15 years and was the relationship manager for visual arts in the North of England. But she was subjected to harassment by fellow employees when she expressed gender critical beliefs in the context of a workplace meeting. The campaign against her culminated in a petition on the organisation’s online noticeboard in which her views were compared to racism and likened to a “cancer”. In June 2023\, Leeds Employment Tribunal found that the Arts Council had not adequately protected Denise from harassment. Her successful claim followed the precedent set by the 2021 court victory of Maya Forstater\, which established that the belief that there are two sexes is protected under the Equality Act 2010. The decision is here and Denise explains what happened to her here. \nSean Corby is a musician who has recorded and performed with the likes of Jah Wobble\, Gregory Isaacs\, Manic St Preachers\, Mica Paris\, and Jazz Warriors. Sean also worked as a conciliator for ACAS\, but\, after he posted articles and quotes on the staff intranet which challenged what he saw as the divisive racial politics of critical race theory\, some of his colleagues vilified him and his employer asked him to delete his contributions. Sean refused\, on principle\, and succeeded in establishing through a 2023 Employment Tribunal that a universalist\, colour-blind approach to anti-racism is a protected ‘philosophical belief’ under the Equality Act\, an important ruling for the protection of diversity of thought. You can read about Sean’s case here and subscribe to his blog here. \nSean will perform with Jonathan Enright. Jonathan was born and raised in Halifax\, West Yorkshire and studied trombone and piano at the Royal College of Music\, London. He has performed and recorded with many musicians\, including: Gregory Isaacs\, Dennis Brown\, Tito Allen\, Joe Bataan\, Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers\, Kathryn Williams\, Peggy Seeger\, Elbow\, Omar\, DJ Henry Fong\, The Disruptors. He leads\, plays and composes for successful Latin bands\, Grupo X and Orchestra Mambo International. \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/140585/
LOCATION:The Anthony Burgess Foundation\, 3 Cambridge Street\, Manchester\, Greater Manchester\, M1 5BY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Regional Speakeasies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://freespeechunion.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-02-at-21.16.19.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231129T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231129T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231019T142434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231019T142434Z
UID:10000062-1701282600-1701293400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:FSU South West Regional Speakeasy
DESCRIPTION:South West Regional Speakeasy\n‘DECOLONISATION’: Freeing our minds or dangerous groupthink?\nWednesday 29th November  \nThe Hall\, Stepcote Hill\, Exeter\, EX1 1BD. \n[Please note that while the venue is fully accessible inside\, it can only be reached via a steep cobbled street\, which may cause issues for people with mobility issues\, the venue provides more information here.] \nDoors open 6.30pm\, discussion 7pm until 8.30pm\, bar open until 9.45pm. \nTickets are £5 for FSU members\, £8 for non-members\, £3 for students.  \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.  \nThe project to ‘decolonise’ knowledge may have begun in universities but it has since spread to many more areas of life: public libraries\, medicine\, engineering\, art galleries and museums\, architecture\, sport\, fashion and beauty\, even cooking and gardening. At the more explicitly political end of the spectrum\, demands to ‘decolonise’ are now central to radical protest movements\, whether directed at institutions such as the police or nation states. \nWhat does ‘decolonisation’ actually mean and why has it become such a popular demand now\, in the 21st century\, when the ‘age of empire’ is fading from living memory? In the universities\, is it a way of broadening our knowledge by undoing the prejudices and blindspots of the past or does it condemn valuable cultural heritage to the dustbin of history and narrow our thinking in new and different ways? In the wider world\, does ‘decolonising’ help to identify and undermine power structures or is it a binary worldview that divides the world into overly simplistic categories of good and evil: oppressed and oppressor\, colonised and coloniser\, black and white? \nIn his new book Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West\, Professor Doug Stokes of the University of Exeter unpacks and challenges the decolonisation project\, arguing that rather than being a truth-seeking movement with the goal of liberation\, it is instead a one-sided attack on Western history which risks throwing the baby of civilisation out with the bathwater of inequality. \nDoug will discuss his book with Alka Sehgal Cuthbert\, a longstanding anti-racist campaigner who has become increasingly concerned that we are seeing ever more divisive thinking that risks destroying the gains we have made. \nBoth speakers are strong advocates of free speech and will consider the implications of ‘decolonising’ for open thinking and free expression. \nThere will\, of course\, be plenty of time for discussion\, as well as socialising with fellow free speech supporters. \nDoug’s book will be on sale on the night and he will be signing copies during the social. \n\nSPEAKERS: \nDoug Stokes is Professor in International Security at the University of Exeter\, and senior adviser to the Legatum Institute. He writes regularly for international media including the Spectator\, Daily Telegraph and the Times on issues ranging from global security to the culture wars and academic freedom. His new book is called Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West (Polity Press\, 2023). Follow Doug on X/Twitter: @profdws  \nDr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert has worked in education as a teacher\, lecturer and education adviser for over 20 years. She is co-author of What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines\, subjects and the pursuit of truth\,  and is director of the campaign group Don’t Divide Us.  \nCHAIR: \nDr Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director\, the Free Speech Union. Before joining the staff of the Free Speech Union\, she worked as an academic sociologist\, studying parenting\, family life\, intimacy and reproductive health.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/fsu-south-west-regional-speakeasy/
LOCATION:The Hall\, Exeter\, Stepcote Hill\, Exeter\, EX1 1BD\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231123T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231123T203000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231109T153935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T153935Z
UID:10000063-1700766000-1700771400@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT: FREE SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN THE CURRENT MOMENT.
DESCRIPTION:GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT: FREE SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN THE CURRENT MOMENT \nIN-PERSON BY INVITATION-ONLY \n ONLINE for FSU MEMBERS (REGISTER USING ZOOM LINK IN MEMBER NEWSLETTERS) \nSince the massacre committed by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7th\, public spaces around the United Kingdom have seen an upsurge in pro-Palestinian political protests. While many demonstrators seek to express their sympathy with ordinary Palestinians\, a number seem to have greeted Hamas’s atrocities as inspiration for ‘jihad’. \nAs a result\, British Jews have experienced an unprecedented spike in antisemitic abuse and attacks\, with many reporting that they fear venturing out in public\, sending their children to school or even attending vigils for those still held hostage by Hamas. \nWhile the Home Secretary has been criticised for labelling pro-Palestinian protests ‘hate marches’\, the police have been criticised for failing to arrest those endorsing terrorism or expressing anti-Jewish hatred. The Met\, in particular\, has come under fire for preventing actions by Jews and their allies\, such as a prayer walk in north London and the driving of digital billboards showing images of Israeli child-hostages through Parliament Square. \nOn Thursday 23rd November\, the Free Speech Union will host a panel of eminent legal experts to grapple with the question of how the law should balance the right of protestors to express their views with the right of British Jews to go about their daily lives without feeling threatened. \n\nAre current laws adequate or do we need stronger laws against the expression of support for extremist groups?\nAre the police failing to act ‘without fear or favour’?\nHow can we ensure that robust legal protections for free speech survive the current crisis?\n\nConfirmed speakers: \nLord Ken Macdonald KC \nFormer Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald is one of the country’s leading criminal\, regulatory and international lawyers. In 2007 he was knighted for services to the law and in 2010 appointed to the House of Lords\, where he sits as a crossbencher. He was a Visiting Professor of Law at the London School of Economics from 2009-2012 and he has been a member of the University of Oxford Law Faculty since 2012. He is Chair of the Orwell Foundation\, President of the Howard League for Penal Reform and was Warden of Wadham College Oxford from 2012 to 2021. \nJonathan Hall KC \nJonathan Hall KC is a barrister and was appointed as the UK’s 4th Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in 2019. As Independent Reviewer he has so far published four lengthy annual reports on terrorism legislation in the UK\, and three standalone reports on managing released terrorism offenders\, terrorism in prisons\, and the use of Schedule 7 powers against a French publisher in 2023. All his reports\, notes\, and speeches are publicly available at https://terrorismlegislationreviewer.independent.gov.uk and published via @terrorwatchdog. \nBryn Harris \nBryn Harris has worked as chief legal counsel of the Free Speech Union since 2020\, participating in some of the UK’s foremost legal cases and policy debates concerning freedom of speech. 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. He has a particular interest in the law and practice surrounding academic freedom of speech. \nChair : Jan Macvarish\, Education and Events Director of the Free Speech Union. \nThe event will be filmed but the audience will not appear on camera. \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 Free Speech Union \nwww.freespeechunion.org
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/getting-the-balance-right-free-speech-and-the-right-to-protest-in-the-current-moment/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231116T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231116T213000
DTSTAMP:20250624T083827
CREATED:20231019T140632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231019T140647Z
UID:10000061-1700159400-1700170200@freespeechunion.org
SUMMARY:Free Speech Cambridge
DESCRIPTION:PARTNER EVENT \nOn Thursday 16th November\, 2023 our friends at Free Speech Cambridge will be hosting author Laura Dodsworth\, to talk about her work\, in particular her new book\, Free Your Mind: The must-read expert guide on how to identify techniques to influence you and how to resist them. Tickets are free\, but you must reserve a spot here.
URL:https://freespeechunion.org/event/free-speech-cambridge/
LOCATION:The Potting Shed at The Waterman\, 32 Chesterton Road\, Cambridge\, CB4 3AX\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Partner Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://freespeechunion.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-19-at-14.40.33.png
END:VEVENT
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