Category Archives: Free Speech

CINCINNATI (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of two Christians who say their free speech rights were violated at a southwest Ohio corn festival.

A 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel ruled unanimously Monday that a policy against solicitation at the annual Sweet Corn Festival was too broad, and unconstitutional. The panel reversed a federal judge's ruling.

The case stemmed from the summer 2009 festival in the Dayton suburb of Fairborn, Ohio. Plaintiffs Tracy Bays and Kerrigan Skelly planned to convey their religious beliefs among festival-goers, and Bays began walking through the park with a sandwich board sign with Christian messages. After encountering opposition from a festival worker and officials, they left.

They sued in 2010. The Christian legal aid group Alliance Defense Fund argued their appeal.

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Federal court rules for Ohio festival free speech

By Jaya Narain

Last updated at 1:55 AM on 13th February 2012

Police chiefs were accused of criminalising free speech yesterday with their confiscation of a satirical football fanzine.

Thousands of copies of Red Issue were seized before Saturday's heated clash between Manchester United and Liverpool.

The fanzine had tried to make fun of Liverpool and their striker Luis Suarez for his use of racist language toward United captain Patrice Evra.

Satire: The cover of Red Issue, as sold outside Old Trafford football ground, prior to Saturday's match between Manchester United and Liverpool

Along with a spoof cut-out of a Ku Klux Klan hood were the words 'Suarez is innocent' and 'LFC' – for Liverpool Football Club.

Officers deemed this 'potentially offensive' and threatened to arrest anyone selling the fanzine. Thousands of copies were seized.

Chief Superintendent Mark Roberts, who was in charge of policing the fixture, said: 'We cannot be in a situation where hundreds or thousands of people were displaying offensive images.

'Shortly before kick-off we were made aware that a Manchester United supporters' fanzine being sold outside Old Trafford featured a potentially offensive image.

'Officers are now seizing the fanzines and in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service we will take appropriate action against anyone either found selling this particular fanzine or provocatively displaying the image in public.'

Officers said they feared the images might stir up violence at a match between two intense rivals.

Final whistle: Evra celebrates the win as Suarez walks off

Crackdown: Police seized thousands of copies of Red Issue before Saturday's heated clash

But a spokesman for campaign group Liberty said: 'It's one thing for the police to take action in fear of a riot being provoked at a tense football match.

'But threatening seizure and prosecution of the fanzine after the event is really a step too far. When lampooning racism becomes a criminal matter you realise just how dangerously broad our speech offences have become.'

Fans said police had overstepped their policing duties prior to the match.

'It is a total disgrace that police felt they could take such draconian measures,' said Eddie Reid, 51, from Salford.

'When has freedom of speech, something which is ingrained in civilised societies, been decided by one policeman overseeing a football match?

Controversy: Evra grabs Suarez's arm after his attempt to shake the striker's hand was refused

'I would suggest the chief superintendent is instructed in the limits to his policing powers.'

Josh Lennon, 48, of Cheshire, said: 'It is time the police were policed because they consistently overstep the mark when it comes to our civil liberties.

'Quite clearly this fanzine was satirical and, while it had the potential to cause trouble, police officers cannot go around threatening people with arrest for owning a copy. It is ridiculous.'

Boiling point: Referee Phil Dowd leads Suarez away after the final whistle, shortly before tempers flared between players in the tunnel

Relations between Liverpool and Manchester United – the two most successful English clubs – have become strained over recent months.

The Football Association banned Suarez in December for eight games and fined him ?40,000 for his remarks to Evra in a game in October.

Tempers frayed again when the Liverpool player refused to shake Evra's hand before the match on Saturday, which United won 2-1.

Evra had to be restrained by teammates on the pitch and there were reports that players from both teams clashed in the tunnel at half time.

Suarez yesterday issued an apology for failing to shake Evra's hand and admitted letting down his club.

David Cameron stepped into the row by saying he would stage a Downing Street summit on football racism.

He and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt will hold a 'round table discussion' with the sport's authorities and players' representatives.

The event, scheduled for later this month, comes amid growing fears that high-profile incidents are harming the image of the game in England.

Mr Hunt said the furore showed 'you can never be complacent' and he condemned the Suarez-Evra spat as 'incredibly depressing'.

Of the Suarez non-handshake, he said: 'It was very unsporting behaviour and I am sure the FA will look in to see if any rules were broken.

'This is the kind of thing that can so easily escalate, which is why the Prime Minister has decided that he's going to take a real interest and have this meeting in Downing Street.'

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Free speech fear as soccer magazine's KKK spoof banned: Thousands confiscated over Suarez race row

08-02-2012 22:58 100 year anniversary of the San Diego free speech fight.

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San Diego Free Speech 100 Years - Video

09-02-2012 10:57 To kick off its 100th Anniversary year, The City Club of Cleveland held a day-long Conference on Free Speech at the Allen Theatre on October 10, 2011. For complete forums from the day, check out The City Club of Cleveland Conference on Free Speech playlist.

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Conference on Free Speech - Highlight Reel (10-10-11) - Video

03-01-2012 09:47 To kick off its 100th Anniversary year, The City Club of Cleveland held a day-long Conference on Free Speech at the Allen Theatre on October 10, 2011. Lauren Onkey, Vice President of Education and Public Programs, moderates this discussion about the evolution of censorship in the music industry. The panel includes hip-hop pioneer Chuck D.

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COFS - Free Speech in the Music Industry (10-10-11) - Video

07-02-2012 11:47 http://www.presstv.ir An outstanding political activist says that US police departments are suppressing free speech by kicking out the Occupy Wall Street encampments across the country. Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Mason, Occupy movement protester, to further discuss the issue.

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Mark Mason: 'US police suppressing OWS free speech ' [7-Feb-12 © Presstv] - Video

06-02-2012 22:28 Fight for Free Speech

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Fight for Free Speech - Video

06-02-2012 13:30 Sarah Obama, President Barack Obama's grandmother, is home recovering from an accident --- Police in the town of Kisumu say the 87-year-old was traveling to her home Saturday night, the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled into a ditch --- All five people in the car, including her two bodyguards, were taken to a hospital for treatment --- All were released with minor injuries ### On Monday, Georgia's top court struck down a state law that restricted assisted suicides, siding with four members of a suicide group who said the law violated their free speech rights --- The Georgia Supreme Court's unanimous ruling found that the law violates the free speech clauses of the US and Georgia constitution --- Defense attorneys said it means that four members of the Final Exit Network who were charged in February 2009 with helping a 58-year-old cancer-stricken man die will not have to stand trial --- Georgia law doesn't expressly forbid assisted suicide --- But lawmakers in 1994 adopted a law that bans people from publicly advertising suicide, hoping to prevent assisted suicide from the likes of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the late physician who sparked the national right-to-die debate --- The law makes it a felony for anyone who publicly advertises, offers or holds himself out as offering that he or she will intentionally and actively assist another person in the commission of suicide and commits any overt act to further that purpose --- State attorneys said the law doesn't infringe ...

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Obama's Grandmother Recovering; Georgia Court Overturns Assisted Suicide Restrictions - Video

27-10-2011 14:08 Learn more and take action about ACTA at lqdn.fr (subtitles included : fr, en, es, de, it, nl, se, pt, ro, ca, hu, gr, ...) Here are few ways to act against ACTA, right now: http://www.laquadrature.net Ongoing translation and subtitling efforts: pad.lqdn.fr Full script: Can you imagine your Internet Service Provider policing everything you do online? Can you imagine generic drugs that could save lives being banned? Can you imagine seeds that could feed 1000's being controlled and withheld in the name of patents? This will become reality with ACTA. ACTA is the Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Disguised as a Trade Agreement, ACTA goes much, much further than that. For the past 3 years, ACTA has been negotiated in secret by 39 countries. But the negotiators are not democratically elected representatives. They don't represent us, but they are deciding laws behind our backs. Bypassing our democratic processes, they impose new criminal sanctions to stop online file sharing. ACTA aims to make Internet Service and Access Providers legally responsible for what their users do online, turning them into Private Copyright Police and Judge, censoring their networks. The chilling effects on free speech would be terrible. In the name of patents, ACTA would give large corporations the power to stop generic drugs before they reach them people who need them, and stop the use of certain seeds for crops. The European Parliament will soon vote on ACTA. This vote will be the occasion to say no once ...

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Say NO to ACTA - Video

18-01-2012 20:04 A controversial proposed law aimed at cracking down on Internet piracy could end up being used for political purposes, the American Civil Liberties Union warns. Interview with the ACLU's legislative office chief of staff on the risks of the so-called SOPA/PIPA legislation, which has sparked massive protest action across the Internet.Duration: 01:05

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US draft Internet law could limit free speech: ACLU - Video