Category Archives: Free Speech

There's no question that free speech has been under attack across the globe in 2015.

The year started off with the mass killing of editorial staff at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaperCharlie Hebdo. Most recently, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin in Moscow.

Globally, at least 17 journalists have been killed in 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The trend appears to be continuing from previous years.

"The total number of deaths in 2014 demonstrates the sustained level of risk to journalists over the past decade," CPJ's news director Shazdeh Omari wroteof last year's numbers. "The past three years are the most deadly period CPJ has recorded."

From social media censorship to crackdowns on political dissent, governments and militant groups alikecontinue to target voices they disagree with. Writers, cartoonists, photographers, filmmakers, bloggers, protesters and opposition figures can all become targets.

Here are the main incidents that have already made headlines in the first months of 2015.

France

On Jan. 7, 12 people, most of them editorial staff, were gunned down at and near the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the shootings, which were carried out by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi. A third gunman and friend of the Kouachis, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four hostages at a kosher market two days later in what appeared to be a related attack. Video later emerged that showed Coulibaly declaring allegiance to the Islamic State.

The string of killings amounted to the worst terror attack on French soil in 50 years. The assault on Charlie Hebdo was widely seen as targeting free speech; the weekly paper is known for running offensive and provocative content, including depictions of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

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2015 is proving to be another deadly year for free speech

FFR Ep. 12: The Loss Of Free Speech!
The secret governments are hounding the puppets to shut us all up. Some who still stand for liberty and free speech are standing up. The death of free speech...

By: FreedomFighter2127

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FFR Ep. 12: The Loss Of Free Speech! - Video

Wave Goodbye to Free Speech on Campus
Universities throughout North America have gradually been co-opted by cultural Marxists who seek to eliminate free speech and open debate. A recent article o...

By: Vladivostok3701

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Wave Goodbye to Free Speech on Campus - Video

Controversies on Campus Defending Free Speech
Marquette University professor John McAdams, whose tenure is threatened as a result of his outspoken politically incorrect blogging, discusses the speech inf...

By: RealClear Radio Hour

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Controversies on Campus Defending Free Speech - Video

CAPA Dinner Talk 2-24-15
This video is about CAPA Dinner Talk 2-24-15 and Free Speech.

By: Andrew B

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CAPA Dinner Talk 2-24-15 - Video

Planet Insano Files Rant: Addressing Heterophobia and Fake Free Speech

By: Thyalwaysseek

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Planet Insano Files Rant: Addressing Heterophobia and Fake Free Speech - Video

This Might Get Vulgar, EP:1 What is Free Speech to The Foxhole Atheist?
Featuring Mister Dee Wayne Rob DiRusso in an EPIC first episode I hope not only breaks the ice, but shatters the fucking pond 🙂 You can also find me on: https://www.facebook.com/TheFoxholeAthei.

By: Foxhole Atheist

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This Might Get Vulgar, EP:1 What is Free Speech to The Foxhole Atheist? - Video

Alexey Shved vs Pacers(3/7) KNICKS
http://obglobal.net/board/1/knicks-forum JOIN US! Best Knicks site out there. Free speech, lazy moderators. http://newyorkjetsglobal.proboards.com/ Jets Fans! Best Jets Forum on the web right here.

By: The Knicks Channel - OBG

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Alexey Shved vs Pacers(3/7) KNICKS - Video

Recent killings in Copenhagen and Paris have renewed an age-old debate: Should societies with vigorous traditions in free speech either adopt or strengthen laws against blasphemy?

At least a fifth of all the countries in the world maintain anti-blasphemy laws, according to the Pew Research Centerwhich include several Western European countries such as Denmark, Germany and Italy.

Read MoreJindal's brilliant take on radical Islam

Yet laws against offending the pious have been accompanied by increasing criticism about whether liberal democracies should even entertain them. Although some argue that blasphemy laws actually encourage zealotry, and feed the cycle of religious-inspired violence, international organizations like the United Nations have pushed to criminalize religious defamation.

Secular governments are attempting to grapple with "problems associated with terrorism and fundamentalism," Tomas Byrne, an author and attorney based in Stockholm told CNBC. "The question becomes, if states are trying to respondis there a way to keep the peace?"

Byrne, a native Canadian who was educated at the University of Oxford, worked as a lawyer and banker for 20 years in London. As it happens, the U.K. has become one of Europe's hottest crucibles in the debate betweencultural assimilation and strict interpretations of Islam.

"I don't think the context we have in western society are neutral concepts," said Byrne, who cited the "direct clash" that ensues when religious groups are confronted with speech they deem offensive.

"There's no way to dance around that. In places like Denmark and Germany they have tried to show tolerance by putting in place [blasphemy] lawsand if we live in a society where we want to choose between visions, we have to be able to risk causing offense," Byrne said, asking, "How effectively can you enforce tolerance?"

Freedom House, an independent freedom watchdog organization, wrote in a 2010 report that blasphemy laws "inevitably fail to address the issue of what exactly constitutes blasphemy, leaving enormous discretion in the hands of prosecutors, judges, and accusers who may be influenced by political or personal priorities."

In other words, regardless of how strict laws are preventing blasphemy, their application and interpretation can vary widely from country to country, and lead to dramatically different results. Pakistan, for instance, is notorious for tough enforcement against apostacyyet blasphemy accusations and retributions have surged there in recent years.

See the rest here:
Can free speech and blasphemy live together?

Recent killings in Copenhagen and Paris have renewed an age-old debate: Should societies with vigorous traditions in free speech either adopt or strengthen laws against blasphemy?

At least a fifth of all the countries in the world maintain anti-blasphemy laws, according to the Pew Research Centerwhich include several Western European countries such as Denmark, Germany and Italy.

Read MoreJindal's brilliant take on radical Islam

Yet laws against offending the pious have been accompanied by increasing criticism about whether liberal democracies should even entertain them. Although some argue that blasphemy laws actually encourage zealotry, and feed the cycle of religious-inspired violence, international organizations like the United Nations have pushed to criminalize religious defamation.

Secular governments are attempting to grapple with "problems associated with terrorism and fundamentalism," Tomas Byrne, an author and attorney based in Stockholm told CNBC. "The question becomes, if states are trying to respondis there a way to keep the peace?"

Byrne, a native Canadian who was educated at the University of Oxford, worked as a lawyer and banker for 20 years in London. As it happens, the U.K. has become one of Europe's hottest crucibles in the debate betweencultural assimilation and strict interpretations of Islam.

"I don't think the context we have in western society are neutral concepts," said Byrne, who cited the "direct clash" that ensues when religious groups are confronted with speech they deem offensive.

"There's no way to dance around that. In places like Denmark and Germany they have tried to show tolerance by putting in place [blasphemy] lawsand if we live in a society where we want to choose between visions, we have to be able to risk causing offense," Byrne said, asking, "How effectively can you enforce tolerance?"

Freedom House, an independent freedom watchdog organization, wrote in a 2010 report that blasphemy laws "inevitably fail to address the issue of what exactly constitutes blasphemy, leaving enormous discretion in the hands of prosecutors, judges, and accusers who may be influenced by political or personal priorities."

In other words, regardless of how strict laws are preventing blasphemy, their application and interpretation can vary widely from country to country, and lead to dramatically different results. Pakistan, for instance, is notorious for tough enforcement against apostacyyet blasphemy accusations and retributions have surged there in recent years.

Read more here:
Can free speech, blasphemy coexist?