Free Speech Union
 | |
| Formation | 24 February 2020 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Toby Young |
| Type | Nonprofit advocacy |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Website | freespeechunion |
The Free Speech Union (FSU) is a British organisation which advocates freedom of speech. The group was established on 24 February 2020 by British columnist Toby Young.[1] The organisation views itself as countering cancel culture by opposing hostility on Twitter and the withdrawal of some individuals' invitations to speak at some university events.
The Free Speech Union made an unsuccessful legal challenge against Ofcom's COVID-19 guidance.[2] The group has been criticised by some on the political left, including two journalists and former student members, who believe that the FSU has a right-wing agenda and that its stated aims are misleading.[3][4]
Campaigns
The organisation was founded to counter a perceived cancel culture,[5] and was "established to counter Twitter mobs that drown out opinions they dislike", according to The Times. Its directors say it will be the beginning of a solution to the "censorship problem". Young said that it should take on the "witch-finder generals" and the "enforcers of intellectual conformity and moral dogma".[6] The FSU has written letters to several universities to criticise "no-platforming", in the cases of Selina Todd and Amber Rudd at Oxford University, Caroline Farrow at Exeter University, Richard Dawkins at Trinity College, Dublin, and former Labour MP Chris Williamson at Royal Holloway Debating Society.[7]
The FSU also lobbied against the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill proposed by Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf of the Scottish National Party. In a submission to the public consultation, prepared by law professor Andrew Tettenborn of Swansea University, the FSU claimed that the bill would be one of the most draconian constraints on free speech in the Western world.[8]
In October 2020, a director of the FSU announced that the Union had begun a lawsuit against Ofcom over its March 2020 "coronavirus guidance", which was published simultaneously with the instantiation of the UK lockdown. In the words of the complainant, the guidance "warns broadcasters to exercise extreme caution before criticising the response by the public health authorities or interviewing any sceptics." He inferred that the guidance was the reason for the lack of public discussion of the Great Barrington Declaration, and questioned the behaviour of SAGE member Susan Michie, who wrote of a show that turned into a discussion of COVID-19 politics that "I'd got prior agreement from BBC Radio 4 about the framing of the item... I was assured that this would not be held as an even-handed debate."[9] A judge dismissed the case and the FSU had to pay £16,732 to cover Ofcom's costs.[2]
In November 2021, the FSU announced that it would be taking legal action against Essex University. The previous year, an independent review commissioned by the university had found that the university had failed to uphold free-speech in its treatment of two female professors, who hold contentious views about transgender people, in December 2019. The university later apologised to both professors. The FSU argued that the university failed to act on the recommendations of the review and stated in their pre-action letter that it is in breach of free-speech law.[10]
After Cambridge University launched an online portal for students to anonymously report microaggressions, the Free Speech Union threatened legal action. The portal was ultimately removed.[11]
In September 2021, the Free Speech Union crowdfunded around £25,000 for the legal fees of a train conductor who had been fired by West Midlands Trains for a Facebook post including the comment "I don't want to live in some sort of alcohol-free Muslim caliphate just to beat Covid-19". The conductor received compensation from West Midlands Trains.[12]
Leadership
Other directors of the union include Douglas Murray, Inaya Folarin Iman, Radomir Tylecote of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Nigel Biggar, and Ian Rons.
The Legal Advisory Council of the FSU consists of sixteen lawyers, among them former High Court judge Sir Patrick Garland,[13] and law professors Andrew Tettenborn[14] and Raymond Wacks.[15]
The Media/PR Advisory Council consists of several journalists including Julia Hartley-Brewer,[16] Allison Pearson and David Rose,[17] as well as University of Cambridge philosophy don Arif Ahmed.[16]
Criticism
Imogen West-Knights, writing for Vice, argued that in setting up the FSU, Young wanted "to be able to slag off [minority groups] to his heart's content".[3] Joel Golby, writing an op-ed for The Guardian, argued that subsequent to his foundation of the FSU, Young was likely to become a "Nigel Farage copycat", adding that "we didn't take Ukip seriously at the start because it was just Robert Kilroy-Silk pouring excess energy from not being on TV any more into saying 'legitimate concerns' a lot... And then, oops, we all woke up and Brexit had happened."[4]
In January 2021, a group of student activists who had joined the Free Speech Youth Advisory Board criticised the way the organisation was run, claiming that they were censured if they disagreed with the group's right-of-centre views.[2] Having been led to believe that it was a grassroots campaign, they commented that it appeared to be an astroturfed front for the Free Speech Union.[2]
In Byline Times, Nafeez Ahmed revealed that Birkbeck College professor Eric Kaufmann, who is an advisor to the FSU, was behind Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's proposal to regulate free speech at English universities.[18]
In September 2022, PayPal shut down the accounts of the Free Speech Union and Toby Young. The account were closed because of breaches of PayPal's acceptable use policy, thought to be because of alleged misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.[19] PayPal apologised and reversed the decision a few days later.[20]
References
- ^ "The problem with free speech". Dr Oliver Hartwich. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d Bland, Archie (9 January 2021). "Students quit free speech campaign over role of Toby Young-founded group". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 January 2021 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ a b West-Knights, Imogen (26 February 2020). "Why, Exactly, Toby Young's Free Speech Union Is So Pathetic". Vice.
- ^ a b Golby, Joel (24 February 2020). "Say what you want about Toby Young – no, really, he'll defend your right to say it" – via theguardian.com.
- ^ "So you've been canceled. Here's how to fight back". The Spectator USA. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Simpson, John (24 February 2020). "Free speech union fights Twitter 'witch‑hunts'" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Cf. copies of the letters at the official website: https://freespeechunion.org/blog/
- ^ "Submission to the Scottish Parliament on the Hate Crime Bill". 7 July 2020.
- ^ Young, Toby (17 October 2020). "Why can't we talk about the Great Barrington Declaration?". The Spectator.
- ^ Turner, Camilla (26 November 2021). "Toby Young's free speech campaign takes on university for silencing gender-critical scholars". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Turner, Camilla; Rudra, Pravina (24 May 2021). "Cambridge removes website where dons can be reported for 'raising an eyebrow'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Leamington railway conductor wins year-long compensation battle with employer who deemed his Facebook post to be 'racist and Islamophobic'". Warwickshire World. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "History of Chambers - Keating Chambers". www.keatingchambers.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ "Professor Andrew Tettenborn - Swansea University". www.swansea.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ "Who We Are". The Free Speech Union. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ a b Hartley-Brewer, Julia (11 December 2020). "A victory for freedom at Cambridge shows the woke mob can only win if we let them". Telegraph Media Group Limited.
- ^ "Free Speech Union: Who We Are". Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Nafeez (16 February 2021). "'Free speech' Czar Role linked to Toby Young's Free Speech Union and US Right-Wing Funding Network". Byline Times. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ James Beal (22 September 2022). "PayPal Free Speech Union accounts shut over Covid 'misinformation'". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 23 September 2022 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Free Speech Union [@SpeechUnion] (27 September 2022). "PayPal has just reversed its decision to deplatform the Free Speech Union and apologised" (Tweet) – via Twitter.