Welby: Freedom of speech must be protected — even on social media
by Pat Ashworth, Church Times:
FREE speech is the only means to the end of a just and generous society, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the House of Lords on Friday. It was a necessary condition to the building of good communities healthy enough to disagree well and challenge when power was misused.
The four-hour debate on freedom of speech was enabled by an Advent tradition that allows the incumbent archbishop to call a debate of his own choosing.
Archbishop Justin Welby identified “the fear of reprisal, the distortion of truth, and the dehumanisation of those with whom we disagree” as three of the major threats to freedom of speech. He paid tribute to those around the globe and in the UK for whom the issue was “genuinely something to die for”.
Regulation alone could not be the answer: “I welcome the Government’s move to tackle online harms; but while we can protect those most at risk, we cannot — and should not try to — legislate ourselves to good behaviour,” he said.
And he cautioned against those who dismissed social media. Its vehemence was “often the voice of those previously unheard, and for that reason it is resented by those who have always been heard”.
The Archbishop reflected on how to foster “those habits of the heart and mind that encourage a society that listens, reflects, and responds with generosity and grace”. He asked: “Just as importantly, how might we ensure that, in our desire to curb the extremes, we do not silence the prophetic, all those who challenge injustice and speak uncomfortable truths, so that we do not push them to the margins?
Read here (£)
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