A free speech film screening was cancelled after a London venue pulled the plug.
The Spiked documentary, Think Before You Post, tackles the rise of heavily policed speech in Britain and was scheduled for a screening at Rich Mix on Tuesday, November 25th. It documents “people who have been arrested, prosecuted and even held on remand for alleged speechcrime—even though they hadn’t said anything the least bit hateful.”
However, the charity arts centre then wrote to Spiked on the night of Tuesday, November 18th, haughtily announcing
Since confirming your booking, it has come to light that the content and speakers featured do not align with our values and mission.
While Rich Mix claims that the “nature of the event was not fully disclosed to us upon booking,” Spiked editor Tom Slater points out that the documentary was already available to watch online at the time.
The last-minute withdrawal of a ‘private’ venue is now a well-established tactic of would-be censors, having been tried in Brussels to shut down last year’s National Conservatism conference.
UPDATE: Late on Friday, November 21st Spiked secured a replacement venue (details here).
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