The aspersions are not likely to end the matter, as six anti-homophobia associations have announced that they have filed a complaint against Caroline Cayeux, who—for the moment—remains in office.
Hélène de Lauzun —
freedom of expression
Apart from deciding who is eligible for financial compensation, the Law of Historical Memory from 2007 has been used to define how history is taught. Its trajectory will be accelerated with the Law of Democratic Memory of 2022.
Carlos Perona Calvete —
Free societies need people like Eoghan Harris—courageous contrarians who defy the culture of amnesia. Such people are the vanguard of memory, reminding us that liberty is a precious but fragile asset that we must not take for granted.
Mark Dooley —
“Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” Gender policy is one such slow form of demise. The West does not need any external enemies to bring about the proverbial collapse of our civilization; we are doing it to ourselves.
Birgit Kelle —
We are facing a progressive mafia engaged in the manipulation of entire populations using a pseudo-religion in which more and more Westerners believe and are ready to deploy all forms of violence to impose. Poland should not step back anymore, not by an inch.
Patrick Edery —
Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets explained that “Estonia has a leading role in defending media freedom in the world.”
Sven R. Larson —
Whether it is the threat of being canceled or anxious concerns that we’ll lose out in the meritocratic race for success, we’re more and more enslaved and less and less free. We’ve lost sight of the true sources of freedom, which come not from permission but from commitment.
R.R. Reno —
The reverberations of Paludan’s distasteful, but legal, Koran burnings have many Swedes wondering whether freedom of expression and multiculturalism can truly exist alongside one another in a single society.
Robert Semonsen —
The near-total elimination of independent media has emboldened the pro-Beijing press to be even more aggressive in hounding the regime’s critics. Next week, on May 3rd, we will mark World Press Freedom Day. Let’s ensure it means something.
Benedict Rogers —
The assertiveness and coordination of the riots convey a simple yet brutal message: the Islamist movement in Sweden is not going to tolerate the country’s free-speech laws anymore, and it will use whatever means necessary to achieve its goal.
Sven R. Larson —
The first generation of human rights promulgation after World War II sought to guarantee freedoms to the individual against the state. Now, we are in a situation where we are suppressing other rights, such as the right to freedom of expression, in the name of the “right to a safe environment.”
Jan Gregor —
Elon Musk filed to buy Twitter on April 14th, just weeks after his initial investment in the company.
Bridget Ryder —
Others—like Slovakia, Latvia, and the Czech Republic—have introduced similar measures that trample upon freedom of expression.
Robert Semonsen —
Over two years, Päivi Räsänen was subjected to more than 13 hours of police interrogations requiring her to justify her remarks, interrogations she considers “perfectly absurd.”
Hélène de Lauzun —
As part of a nationwide “day of action,” German police have raided the homes of more than 100 individuals, who are being accused of hate speech relating to the Bundestag election last autumn.
David Boos —
Are rights provided to us by government, or is government simply a protector of rights that we have by virtue of being humans?
Sven R. Larson —
France finds itself in the ‘dock’ of Europe’s top human rights court over its censorial approach to an infomercial featuring joyful people with Down Syndrome.
Robert Clarke —
“By threatening a UK-based NGO with financial penalties and jail for merely reporting on the human rights situation in Hong Kong, this letter exemplifies why Hong Kong’s National Security Law is so dangerous.”—Benedict Rogers
Bridget Ryder —
Conservatives, if they still go by that name, should not be bashful about re-asserting the university as a place of free thought and academic inquiry. If the prime minister wants to be taken seriously, he must guarantee that the bill immediately resumes its journey to the Queen’s desk.
Harrison Pitt —
Over the weekend of February 18th, the Foro Madrid concluded its first meeting in Bogotá, Colombia. An initiative of the “Fundación Disenso,” a think-tank set up by Spain’s VOX party, Foro Madrid brought together leaders from political parties and organizations throughout Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. Participants included ex-Peruvian Vice President Francisco Tudela, Colombian Senator […]
Carlos Perona Calvete —
Through a formal ban by Brussels mayor Philippe Close, any vehicles associated with the movement were barred access to the city center. This, combined with controls at the Belgian border, effectively contained the movement.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
For the first time in Canadian history, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the ongoing trucker blockades and anti-vaccination protests. In a news conference on February 14th, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that “it is now clear that there are serious challenges to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the […]
David Boos —
After discovering the Omicron variant last November, Dr. Angelique Coetzee faced heavy criticism from scientists and politicians in Europe for calling the variant a “mild disease.” Some three months later she is proven right and refuses to be silenced.
David Boos —
Christian leaders asked authorities to drop the charges against Jimmy Lai. “We plead with you to have compassion on his life and well-being and to correct this injustice. We will continue to hope and pray for his eventual release as well as for the well-being and prosperity of Hong Kong and all the peoples of the whole Chinese nation,” the letter said.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
“The United States has failed to support the Cuban people’s cries for freedom by refusing to denounce the Cuban regime as illegitimate.” — Rosa María Payá Acevedo
Lorenzo Montanari —
“I never thought that citing the Bible and agreeing with it could be criminal.” — Päivi Räsänen
Jonathon Van Maren —
Finland explicitly says “violations against human rights and religious freedom cannot be tolerated anywhere;” just days later, a politician is put on trial for expressing her religious convictions. Nina Shea captured the irony with biting concision: “Finland acts like a pyromaniac at home and like a fireman for Pakistan when it comes to freedoms of religion and speech.”
Tristan Vanheuckelom, Editorial Staff —
Criminalizing the speech of half a billion people is a serious matter and those pushing for it must come up with something more convincing than ‘hate is hate.’ Enough is enough!
Paul Coleman —
Beyond her personal case, Päivi Räsänen is well aware that her struggle is much broader: “It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.”
Hélène de Lauzun —
New speech-restriction laws, whether national or at the EU level, would amplify a disturbing trend underway in Europe, where the right to free expression is gradually being replaced with a new legal default. What speech is not explicitly permitted, is banned.
Sven R. Larson —
Spokesman Simon Calvert of The Christian Institute called the ECHR ruling “the right result.” He applauded the UK Supreme Court, which, in 2018, had “engaged at length with the human rights arguments in this case and upheld the McArthurs’ rights to freedom of expression and religion.” He called the ECHR ruling “good news for free speech, good news for Christians, and good news for the McArthurs.”
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
Speaking to the press after the verdict was delivered, Harry Miller said: “By framing reality, inquiry and dissent as prejudice, bigotry and hate, the College of Policing has failed to protect the liberty that used to be taken for granted by the citizens of this great nation.”
Bridget Ryder —
“What is spread on Telegram is disgusting, indecent, and criminal,” Federal Justice Minister Buschmann said. “My wish is that we do not take a special German path, but rather create a common European legal framework that enables us to take action against hatred and agitation on the Internet.”
Robert Semonsen —