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Sergei Popov on how Russia’s education amendments threaten academic freedom Sergei Popov discusses with Helen Haft the threats that proposed amendments to Russia’s educational activities’ law pose for academic freedom, free speech and scientific development both within Russia and abroad. Social media for revolution? New forms of popular protest require a new digital response. Criminal regimes are never soft on history Antoon De Baets argues that states that sacrifice their citizens first, sacrifice their history next. Self-inculpatory laws exist Eric Heinze argues that states can and do proclaim their own past and present wrongdoings, even when international law does not strictly require it. Self-inculpatory laws do not exist Antoon De Baets argues that criminal states do not punish themselves. How Pakistan’s blasphemy laws trigger violence Since the passage of Pakistan’s blasphemy law in 1987, there have been dozens of extra judicial murders of individuals accused of blasphemy. Perpetrators of this vigilante justice rarely face consequences. Helen Haft and Joelle Fiss examine the repercussions of this law and its impact on free speech. Peeing on Pétain Eric Heinze examines the boundary between civil disobedience and desecration. Should governments butt out of history? Eric Heinze examines how states limit speech in order to control public awareness about the past. “Monopoly is really dangerous for free speech” Ana Kasparian of #yourMSC asks our director Timothy Garton Ash about Facebook, free speech and democracy at the Munich Security Conference 2019. What is ‘dehumanising’ speech? Eric Heinze provocatively argues that no-platformers need to look into the mirror and examine their own blind spots. Launch of the report ‘Glasnost! Nine ways Facebook can make itself a better forum for free speech and democracy’ Join us at the Bonavero Institute of Human rights on the 28th February for the launch of an Oxford-Stanford report on Facebook, free speech and democracy. Glasnost! Nine ways Facebook can make itself a better forum for free speech and democracy Free Speech Debate co-authors an Oxford-Stanford report on Facebook. Teresa M. Bejan discusses ‘mere civility’, disagreement and the limits of toleration Lewis Willcocks talks to Dr Teresa M. Bejan, Associate Professor of Political Theory at the University of Oxford, about her recent book ‘Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration’ (Harvard University Press) and what early modern debates over religion can teach us about diversity and discourse in the twenty-first century. ‘Lenin-fall’: free speech and the politics of memory in Ukraine O.T. Jones argues that the Ukrainian state should not restrict open historical debate but use its ‘expressive’ powers to foster a nuanced understanding of the past. The rise of a new orthodoxy Secularism poses its own threat to free speech, argues Father Jordi Pujol. It’s the institutions, stupid! Calvin Chan proposes a new framework for conceptualising free speech. Free Speech, Hate Speech, Dangerous Speech: What should Facebook do? Join us online, with speakers Monika Bickert, Ken MacDonald, and Louise Richardson, to discuss what Facebook should do about hate and dangerous speech. Bishop Dieser of Aachen: Europe must defend its secular culture Bishop Dieser of Aachen examines our sixth principle, “Respect the believer but not necessarily the content of the belief”. Law and historical memory: theorising the discipline Free expression should not be considered as ‘just another’ human right. Any truly participatory political system cannot exist without it nor any legal system linked to such politics, argues Eric Heinze. The Pnyx and the Agora Designers need to pay attention to the architecture of theatres as possible political spaces, argues Richard Sennett. Free speech under attack: the case of universities Timothy Garton Ash delivers the fifth annual Cara ‘Science and Civilisation’ lecture at the Royal Society. The lecture outlines the principles of Free Speech Debate, with a particular regard to the situation in universities. The series takes its name from the lecture given by Albert Einstein at the Royal Albert Hall in 1933. Arseny Bobrovsky talks about his weird and wonderful @KermlinRussia parody Twitter account Arseny Bobrovksy of the parody account Kermlin Russia, talks to Helen Haft about self-censorship in Russia. Are you sitting comfortably? How safe spaces became dangerous We must distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate safe spaces, argues Eric Heinze. South Africa’s long walk to freedom of expression Free speech holds the powerful to account and is essential to ending apartheid’s legacy of division, argues Nooshin Erfani-Ghadimi. Art with the ‘courage of thought’ is the best response to ‘hate speech’ Hungarian academic and performer Peter Molnar explains the importance of Gondolatbátorság to his ‘Hate Speech’ Monologues. Solving the political ad problem with transparency Customised news undermines democratic debate, argues Seth Copen Goldstein The UK can show the way on platform regulation. But not by treating Facebook and Google as publishers Mark Bunting argues that the tech giants should accept ‘procedural accountability’. In defence of Europe’s memory laws There are two exceptional cases in which memory laws protect free speech, argue Grażyna Baranowska and Anna Wójcik. Las Vegas: the US is racked with impossible divisions over rights and freedoms Todd Landman explores the contradictions between the American Constitution and the freedoms it seeks to preserve. Hate speech and inter-ethnic violence in Nigeria Bill Snaddon describes Nigerian writers’ appeals to curb hate speech and ethnic stereotyping in a fragile nation. Don’t blame news polarisation on the internet…it’s not the technology, stupid! The internet does not guarantee polarised news, argues Richard Fletcher. « Older
Wojciech Sadurski: defamation and the dangers to democracy in Poland Wojciech Sadurski discusses with Helen Haft the criminal and civil defamation charges he is facing in Poland, his recent acquittal in one case, and the dangers to free speech and democracy under Poland’s Law and Justice Party.
Sergei Popov on how Russia’s education amendments threaten academic freedom Sergei Popov discusses with Helen Haft the threats that proposed amendments to Russia’s educational activities’ law pose for academic freedom, free speech and scientific development both within Russia and abroad.
Criminal regimes are never soft on history Antoon De Baets argues that states that sacrifice their citizens first, sacrifice their history next.
Self-inculpatory laws exist Eric Heinze argues that states can and do proclaim their own past and present wrongdoings, even when international law does not strictly require it.
Self-inculpatory laws do not exist Antoon De Baets argues that criminal states do not punish themselves.
How Pakistan’s blasphemy laws trigger violence Since the passage of Pakistan’s blasphemy law in 1987, there have been dozens of extra judicial murders of individuals accused of blasphemy. Perpetrators of this vigilante justice rarely face consequences. Helen Haft and Joelle Fiss examine the repercussions of this law and its impact on free speech.
Should governments butt out of history? Eric Heinze examines how states limit speech in order to control public awareness about the past.
“Monopoly is really dangerous for free speech” Ana Kasparian of #yourMSC asks our director Timothy Garton Ash about Facebook, free speech and democracy at the Munich Security Conference 2019.
What is ‘dehumanising’ speech? Eric Heinze provocatively argues that no-platformers need to look into the mirror and examine their own blind spots.
Launch of the report ‘Glasnost! Nine ways Facebook can make itself a better forum for free speech and democracy’ Join us at the Bonavero Institute of Human rights on the 28th February for the launch of an Oxford-Stanford report on Facebook, free speech and democracy.
Glasnost! Nine ways Facebook can make itself a better forum for free speech and democracy Free Speech Debate co-authors an Oxford-Stanford report on Facebook.
Teresa M. Bejan discusses ‘mere civility’, disagreement and the limits of toleration Lewis Willcocks talks to Dr Teresa M. Bejan, Associate Professor of Political Theory at the University of Oxford, about her recent book ‘Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration’ (Harvard University Press) and what early modern debates over religion can teach us about diversity and discourse in the twenty-first century.
‘Lenin-fall’: free speech and the politics of memory in Ukraine O.T. Jones argues that the Ukrainian state should not restrict open historical debate but use its ‘expressive’ powers to foster a nuanced understanding of the past.
The rise of a new orthodoxy Secularism poses its own threat to free speech, argues Father Jordi Pujol.
Free Speech, Hate Speech, Dangerous Speech: What should Facebook do? Join us online, with speakers Monika Bickert, Ken MacDonald, and Louise Richardson, to discuss what Facebook should do about hate and dangerous speech.
Bishop Dieser of Aachen: Europe must defend its secular culture Bishop Dieser of Aachen examines our sixth principle, “Respect the believer but not necessarily the content of the belief”.
Law and historical memory: theorising the discipline Free expression should not be considered as ‘just another’ human right. Any truly participatory political system cannot exist without it nor any legal system linked to such politics, argues Eric Heinze.
The Pnyx and the Agora Designers need to pay attention to the architecture of theatres as possible political spaces, argues Richard Sennett.
Free speech under attack: the case of universities Timothy Garton Ash delivers the fifth annual Cara ‘Science and Civilisation’ lecture at the Royal Society. The lecture outlines the principles of Free Speech Debate, with a particular regard to the situation in universities. The series takes its name from the lecture given by Albert Einstein at the Royal Albert Hall in 1933.
Arseny Bobrovsky talks about his weird and wonderful @KermlinRussia parody Twitter account Arseny Bobrovksy of the parody account Kermlin Russia, talks to Helen Haft about self-censorship in Russia.
Are you sitting comfortably? How safe spaces became dangerous We must distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate safe spaces, argues Eric Heinze.
South Africa’s long walk to freedom of expression Free speech holds the powerful to account and is essential to ending apartheid’s legacy of division, argues Nooshin Erfani-Ghadimi.
Art with the ‘courage of thought’ is the best response to ‘hate speech’ Hungarian academic and performer Peter Molnar explains the importance of Gondolatbátorság to his ‘Hate Speech’ Monologues.
Solving the political ad problem with transparency Customised news undermines democratic debate, argues Seth Copen Goldstein
The UK can show the way on platform regulation. But not by treating Facebook and Google as publishers Mark Bunting argues that the tech giants should accept ‘procedural accountability’.
In defence of Europe’s memory laws There are two exceptional cases in which memory laws protect free speech, argue Grażyna Baranowska and Anna Wójcik.
Las Vegas: the US is racked with impossible divisions over rights and freedoms Todd Landman explores the contradictions between the American Constitution and the freedoms it seeks to preserve.
Hate speech and inter-ethnic violence in Nigeria Bill Snaddon describes Nigerian writers’ appeals to curb hate speech and ethnic stereotyping in a fragile nation.
Don’t blame news polarisation on the internet…it’s not the technology, stupid! The internet does not guarantee polarised news, argues Richard Fletcher.