Psychological safety trumps free speech – unless it’s about Israel
by Toby Young, Free Speech Union:
One of our directors, Douglas Murray, said of last Saturday’s attack on Israel: “Sometimes a flare goes up, and you see exactly where everyone is.” He was referring to the response by some members of the anti-colonial Left, such as Novara Media’s Rivkah Brown, who tweeted: “Today should be a day of celebration for supporters of democracy and human rights worldwide, as Gazans break out of their open-air prison and Hamas fighters cross into their colonisers’ territory. The struggle for freedom is rarely bloodless and we shouldn’t apologise for it.” (She later apologised.)
Rivkah was far from alone, with equally appalling reactions by an assistant professor at the LSE, the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matters (Telegraph) and Dr Ashok Kumar, a Professor at Birkbeck, who said the murder of more than 250 young people at the Supernova outdoor rave was a “consequence” of “partying on stolen land” (Mail).
But the reaction to the attack also shone a light on something else – namely, the double standards of those who penalise people for exercising their right to lawful free speech.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
