Media

Free speech is the best weapon against hate speech

The Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill would criminalise racist speech. Almost every supporter of the bill see legislation as a means to “eliminate racism”. The problem is that trying to eliminate racism is like trying to pin down mercury. Racism is an expression of people’s thoughts and feelings, upbringing and experience, interactions and education — these all change over time. Often racism ebbs and flows depending on people’s personal experiences of the political forces in society. Criminalisation isn't the answer.

Be careful when censoring speech

‘To tamper with the author’s words because of the sensibilities of present-day readers is unacceptable.  The minute you do this Huckleberry Finn stops being the book that Twain wrote' - Peter Messent of the University of Nottingham. The same applies to any modern day author whose words are tampered with by sensitivity readers.

Julius Malema – a victim of hate speech. Seriously?

Kenny Kunene of the Patriotic Alliance called Julius Malema a 'cockroach', a 'little frog', and a 'criminal'. A judge found Kunene guilty of hate speech. I think the judge was wrong.

'Problematic' words are being banned from the English language. Struth!

In an interview on Spectator TV author Lionel Shriver talks about the war on words by academia. She describes it in an article as 'the linguistic pigeon shooting'.

In conversation: FSU International

Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union UK was joined by Sara Gon, Director of the FSU South Africa and Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the FSU New Zealand to discuss a wide range of topics including how free speech is curtailed in the media, the importance of hearing contrary opinions and the commonalities experienced by our respective organisations.

[Video] The Watchdog SABC with Vuyo Mvoko 10 November 2022

Panel discussion about the failed diversity intervention at Fish Hoek High

Not seeing colour is not racist

The woke insist that 'I don't see colour' or 'I am colourblind' are actually expressions of racism in that you ignore a fundamental feature of a person. We don't agree. We believe they are positive terms that merely reflect that a person's colour is not the basis upon which a person is judged.

The Reith Lectures - The Four Freedoms: 1. Freedom of Speech

Best-selling Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gives the first of four 2022 Reith Lectures discussing freedom of speech. This lecture and question-and-answer session is recorded in London in front of an audience and presented by Anita Anand. The year's series was inspired by President Franklin D Roosevelt's four freedoms speech of 1941 and asks what this terrain means now? It features four different lecturers. In addition to Chimamanda, they are: Freedom of Worship by Rowan Williams Freedom from Want by Darren McGarvey Freedom from Fear by Fiona Hill