Category Archives: Freedom

After four long years, I can say that I am glad that I came to Bowdoin. I was able to learn about something I never would have been able to learn anywhere else: the way white people live. I can say with certainty that I hope to never be in a space like this again, so I bid farewell to Brunswick, Maine. I want to leave something behind for the Black students on this campus that are often forgotten, spoken over and disenfranchised.

You are so strong and capable, and your experience is your knowledge; there are so many things you will realize that you knew already but never had the language to describe,or rather you didnt know the language your oppressors use to describe what they arent even convinced is your experience. Even when you share story after story of your pain, your familys pain, our collective pain, and they still dont believe you, remember the Black people who will support you and guide you and comfort you. Though we may not always be together, there is something within you that knows you are loved.

You deserve better, and you must fight as if you know you deserve it as well. When you know you need help, be it financial, academic or with finding good coping habits, ask for it. Demand it. We are not here just to enrich the education of white students, giving them free lectures and things to consider in the privacy of their locker roomswe are humans who are deserving of respect, and you must take it for yourself. You cannot wait for this system to work because this place was not made for us.

I saw a good quote the other day that spoke about not treating the people in your community how you would treat your oppressor. It made me think about how easy it is to jump on people who may genuinely come from a good place but havent had anyone reach out to them and ask why they said what they said. Now, I personally wouldnt do this for anyone but another Black person, and I feel its especially important to call in from within the community. Theres no point in airing out our business for entertainment and spectacle when there are so many things white people have done that dont even get discussed. I believe that in some cases, grace must be extended, because we know how often it wasnt offered to us when we needed it the most.

I dont know if I can ever find the words to express how I felt when I studied abroad in Ghana and had a chance to not only remove myself completely from Bowdoin but from the United States. Having that experience made something click for me that I dont think can happen unless you get that time away. Bowdoin keeps us too busy and overworked to talk about the issues we really want to talk about with the people we want to talk about them with, so even they are aware of the power of communication. I hope that you all use your time as you see fit and organize to bring about the change you deserve.

We all know that nothing comes easy; I feel as though this is especially true when it has come to the fight for liberation. Growing up, it was common to hear certain babies being described as old souls. As if they had been here before and were already fed up with the fact that things havent really changed all that much. And while I recognize that it may feel like you are just one person, your voice has power. Once you find it, hold onto it tight, because there are people who are afraid to see what happens when your voice is listened to.

I know that as a people, we have different ideals and aspirations, but we cant forget what our larger goal is. Every liberation movement has utilized different strategies, and that nuance in thought is important, but we are at a point in time where this may truly be our last chance to get things right. The earth is dying, and oppressed peoples are rising up against U.S. imperialism and militarized police forces globally. So, to all of my beautiful Black people: dont forget who your ancestors are and how far their knowledge and presence has gotten us. My heart is full from knowing that you are here, and I will make sure they hear you when you speak. Love, Saf.

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To freedom The Bowdoin Orient - The Bowdoin Orient

A few years ago, three friends and I walked from D.C. to Philly to Pittsburgh along the railroad lines. Wed all been in a certain amount of combat and wanted to zero out our lives for a while, sleeping under bridges and cooking over fires and drinking from creeks. We walked 400 miles, and most nights we were the only people who knew where we were. There are many definitions of freedom, but surely thats one of them.

Even in the cramped jumble of the East Coast its possible to remain pretty much below the radar, but real freedomthe big, raw consequential kindseemed to start around Harrisburg, Penn. Thats where the Juniata River runs into the Susquehanna at her great breaching of Blue Mountain. Fast clean creeks chase off the ridges and the riverbanks are filled with flood-wrack for firewood and the woods are so thick, you can practically sleep within sight of a police station or church steeple and not worry about getting caught. Not two days walk from Harrisburg we passed a sign nailed to a tree that warned the federal government that the property would be defended by any means necessary. It struck us as serious country, this Juniata, where you kept an eye on the weather and slept next to whatever weapon you had. All we carried was a machete, but at night all of us knew where it was.

The mouth of the Juniata has long marked the boundary between organized society and something wilder. In the early years of settlement, life in populated areas farther east was brutally rigidthe most common civil offense was contempt for authorityand many simply wanted to escape the scrutiny of church and state. Because the Pennsylvania frontier was so dangerous, though, its vaunted freedom was a kind of mirage: The closer you got, the more danger you were in and the more you needed your neighbors for survival. That just meant following their rules rather than the governments. Any man who refused to fight during an Indian attack was shunned by the entire communityeven failing to carry a rifle and tomahawk was cause for censureand crimes were adjudicated by an ad hoc tribunal of neighbors. The punishment for most transgressions was flogging and banishment.

There was neither law nor gospel, recounts a late 18th-century settler named Joseph Doddridge. In a sparse population, where all the members of the community are known to each other and every man capable of bearing arms is considered highly valuable, public opinion has its full effects and answers the purposes of legal government.

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The Reality Behind the Dream of Total Freedom - The Wall Street Journal

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) It took months for investigators to piece what happened to Shelly Jiron in 1991.

Her burned body was found inside a car that had run into a ravine on the west side of Utah Lake.

Inside the vehicle was her husband, Joe Jiron. He too was badly burned, but unlike his wife, he survived but had severe burns.

But from the outset, authorities with the Utah County Sheriffs Office called it suspicious.

About a year earlier, Shelly Jiron filed for divorce. But on this date, the two had travelled to West Wendover and visited several casinos and stayed at a hotel.

Over the course of several months, investigators pieced together their case against the husband. They found evidence at the hotel they had stayed at. The state fire marshall determinedthe fire was intentionally set.

In November 1992, Jiron was sentenced from five-years-and-up-to-life in prison.

Nearly 30-years later, Jiron is eligible for parole. He appeared before a hearing officer and told the story of what happened in the car. He said they had sex and afterwards got into an argument.

She struggles from that and starts scratching at me, Jiron told the hearing officer. So I eventually, I end up choking herand I am like mad and frustrated and I end up killing her.

He told the hearing officer he panicked and started driving towards Lehi. Jiron pulled over and grabbed a container of gas that was in the back seat.

I just poured gas all over her and part of the car and all over me (and) started the car, Jiron said.

He continued driving before pulling over once more.

I ignited the fire in the car, he said.

And then woke up in the hospital. Family members also listened to his testimony through a video link provided by the prison.

The couple had two children and he apologized to them.

Shellys father, Ross Conk accepted his apology and told ABC4 the following: Im glad hes out. He made a mistake and he repented.

The Utah Board of Pardons determined Jiron had paid for his crime. He was released from prison Tuesday, May 11.

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The Justice Files: Forgiveness and Freedom - ABC 4

Last week, parents of Freedom Elementary School received an email from the district about the opportunity for students to join the Freedom Innovation Academy that will be held at Deer Creek Elementary School next fall.

District officials were hoping to have about 100 students in grades two through five interested in joining the program that would send the students to Deer Creek Elementary School as a way to try out the new program and ease overcrowding expected at Freedom in the fall.

Assistant Superintendent Rachael Agre said the interest survey closed on Friday with about 40 kids whose parents said they would definitely or may be interested in the program.

Although the district didn't reach the 100 mark, Agre said she felt like it would be enough students to help the overcrowding issue somewhat and move forward with trying the new program.

"I think we'll move forward and hold an informational meeting for those parents, but a date for that meeting has not been set," she said.

Agre said staff will also need to figure out how Freedom will handle the population boom. Solutions could include large classrooms or utilizing space to hold 27 sections.

The Freedom Innovation Academy would be created first by shifting the volunteer students in grades two through five at Freedom Elementary School to a separate wing at Deer Creek Elementary School. The wing would have dedicated classrooms and classes would be held through spring 2023.

The Innovation Academy at Deer Creek will attempt to use the framework of North Dakota Choice Ready. Choice Ready is designed for seniors in high school, but staff said the district wants to begin Choice Ready learning as soon as possible. That model involves personalized learning that includes community service, 21st-century skills, extra activities and career choice programs as well as capstone projects. It will also use Quiver, an app that focuses on socio-emotional learning such as compassion and resiliency and allows students to be in a virtual house with other students so they can support one another. The focus of Quiver is relationships, self-reflection and understanding each person matters.

The Innovation Academy will have "maker spaces" that will allow students a place to create and work.

Funding fort the Innovation Academy will be in part from Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funds or ESSER funds, which is state and federal COVID-19 relief funding. West Fargo is expecting to receive nearly $23 million in ESSER funds, some of which is expected to be used on innovative learning.

"Not only is this program a solution to our continuous growth in the Freedom neighborhood, it provides us an avenue to expand on the work we have done in offering students a curriculum that prepares them for the world of today and the world of tomorrow," Agre said.

Transportation will be provided by the district for Freedom students who will need to be bused to Deer Creek. Buses will first drop off Freedom students at Freedom in the morning and then drop off Innovation students at Deer Creek; the reverse would happen in the afternoons.

Freedom Innovation students would remain Freedom Flyers and would bus back to the school to continue sports and intermural programs at Freedom Elementary.

Agre said there may be times grade levels are blended. A classroom that is multi-age most of the time would depend on enrollment.

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Freedom Innovation Academy moving forward - INFORUM

Surge testing has been deployed amid concerns over growing cases of the Indian coronavirus variant. (Getty)

The government will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to stop the spread of the Indian coronavirus variant after cases more than doubled in a week, Matt Hancock has said.

The rising number of cases of the variant could put the so-called 21 June 'Freedom Day' at risk for some areas, with Boris Johnson not ruling out local lockdowns as one way of containing it.

Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows a rise in cases from 520 to 1,313 this week in the UK, with the agency saying cases were "rising in the community".

The Prime Minister said the government was anxious about the variant, saying "there is a range of things we could do, we are ruling nothing out".

But he said despite the spread of the Indian variant, there was nothing that dissuades me from easing Englands lockdown on Monday or the further steps towards normality on June 21.

But he added "there may be things we have to do locally and we will not hesitate to do them if that is the advice we get".

Read more: 'Zero evidence' COVID booster jab will be needed, top scientist warns

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the 21 June lockdown lifting in England could be in doubt if the variant causes increases in cases in elderly people and a rise in people needing hospital care.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: "I think the big question is how many of people who are getting the Indian variant will end up requiring hospitalisation.

"And at the moment the hospitalisation rate doesnt seem to be increasing yet, although if this becomes much more common well almost certainly see some increase, so I think its certainly a concern."

Watch: Boris Johnson 'anxious' about spread of Indian variant

He added: "If the Indian variant of the epidemic continues to increase at the same rate as it has over recent weeks, were going to have a huge number of cases by June.

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"The issue though is that because it seems to be spreading in unvaccinated younger people at the moment and not yet that much more active in older people maybe well be able to weather it and well still be able to have the step four in June.

"But if that increases cases in elderly and starts to increase hospitalisations, and puts pressure on the NHS again then I think step four would be in doubt."

Various options are being considered to halt the spread of the varient, with one possible response to bring forward the date for a second dose of vaccine for eligible groups to increase protection.

In Bolton, which has one of the highest case rates of the variant in the country, mobile testing units have been deployed and door-to-door PCR Covid testing has been offered to 22,000 residents.

A vaccine bus has been set up to encourage uptake among those who are eligible and a rapid response team of 100 nurses, public health advisers and environmental health officers has been sent to the area.

One possible response is to bring forward the date for a second dose of vaccine for eligible groups to increase protection. (Getty)

Surge testing has been deployed in Sefton, Merseyside, after cases of the Indian variant were confirmed in the Formby area, with anyone over 16 who lives, works or studies in the area urged to take a PCR test.

Measures have also been brought in elsewhere, including in parts of London.

The Health Secretary said: "We are monitoring the situation very carefully and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.

"It is imperative we all continue to be vigilant, and if you live in one of the 15 areas where weve introduced surge testing, make sure you get a free PCR test.

"And everyone whos eligible needs to come forward and get a jab."

Dr Susan Hopkins, COVID-19 strategic response director at PHE, said: "We need to act collectively and responsibly to ensure that variants do not impact on the progress we have all made to drive down levels of COVID-19 and the increased freedom that brings."

Local lockdowns are only expected to be used if evidence suggests they are necessary to contain or suppress a variant which escapes the vaccine.

But any attempt to put new restrictions in place is likely to spark a backlash.

Tory Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the COVID Recovery Group of MPs, said: "Why on earth would we lock down when the vaccines continue to break the link between cases and hospitalisations and deaths?

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who fought the government over local restrictions in Manchester last year, also warned against attempts to impose local measures.

He told the BBCs Newscast: "We would be very concerned about the Government putting Blackburn, Bolton, anywhere to be honest, under local restrictions when the rest of the country is unlocking."

Watch: What is long COVID?

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Have your say: Will the 21 June 'Freedom Day' be changed because of Indian COVID variant? - Yahoo Sports

WEST CHESTER Join Chester County this summer in Journeying Toward Freedom during the 2021 Town Tours and Village Walks program!

This years program will kick off on Thursday, June 17, with a virtual ceremony and Juneteenth Commemoration starting at 5:00 pm, followed by optional in-person walking tours at 6:45pmat the Chester County History Center.

Much like last year, the virtual programs will occur Live at 5 on Thursday evenings throughout June, July, and August - however this year will bring back the programs original walking tour component (on a limited basis).

Through the 2021 Town Tours and Village Walks program, individuals can learn about the founding principles and the sites in Chester County that were intrinsic to our nations history and had a profound impact on the cause for freedom. From the Quaker values of tolerance and necessary civil disobedience to the boundary dispute with Maryland and the drawing of the fateful Mason and Dixon Line, Chester Countys abolitionists and freedom seekers have had a profound impact on the nations history.

The kickoff event on June 17 will highlight William Kashatus, respected Underground Railroad historian and local author.

- Register here for the 6/17 Virtual Event

- Register here for the 6/17 Walking Tours

Additional programs will include:

June 24 (Virtual) - Walking in Harriet Tubmans Footsteps

July 1 (Virtual/In-Person) - Abolitionists and the Eusebius and Sarah Barnard House

With self-guided tours to follow on July 3 and July 4

With additional tours to follow on August 21

The Town Tours and Village Walks program is made possible through a partnership between the Chester County Board of Commissioners, Chester County Planning Commission, Chester County History Center, Chester County Historic Preservation Network, Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau, and many volunteers.

In addition to this years Town Tours and Village Walks program, Kennett Squares Voices Underground has prepared a diverse list of Juneteenth events (some which take place before the kickoff event and some after), which can be found here: https://www.vuproject.org/juneteenth.

For more information about the 2021 Town Tours and Village Walks program, visit https://chescoplanning.org/HisResources/TownTours.cfm.

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Chester County journeying toward freedom with 2021 Town Tours - Daily Local News

Black Californians are up to 4.5 times more likely to be stopped for jaywalking than their white peers, according to data the state collects under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA). The Freedom to Walk Act, a bill introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and pedestrian safety groups, aims to address this disparity by decriminalizing walking in the street outside of a legal intersection.

Police interactions even over minor infractions for crossing the street can be deadly, especially for people of color and individuals experiencing homelessness, whom police commonly stop for non-serious infractions and quality-of-life crimes related to their unhoused status.

Stopped for Jaywalking

On September 23, 2020, members of the Orange County Sheriffs Departments homeless outreach team shot and killed 42-year-old Kurt Andras Reinhold after stopping him for jaywalking. Before the fatal encounter, deputies body-worn microphones recorded the officers arguing about whether Reinhold had actually illegally jaywalked when he crossed at an intersection.

Three years earlier, in April 2017, a Sacramento police officer stopped pedestrian Nandi Cain, then threw him to the ground and punched him repeatedly, breaking Cains nose and giving him a concussion.

That same year, in Asheville, North Carolina, then-officer Chris Hickman beat, choked, and shocked another Black man, Johnnie Rush, after stopping him for crossing the street.

Both Cain and Rush survived and received settlements from their cities.

In another instance, in 1993 an LAPD officer, Clark Baker, was convicted of misdemeanor battery for kicking and slapping a man, twisting his arm, and dragging him by the hair after the 23-year-old, who reportedly spoke little English, asked the officer to read his jaywalking citation to him.

Walking in the street is not the only minor infraction that leads to violent police encounters.

Last August, LASD deputies fatally shot Dijon Kizzee, a 29-year-old Black man, after stopping him for riding his bike the wrong way.

Advocates say that pedestrian and bicycle laws and other low-level, commonly committed vehicle violations allow law enforcement to conduct racially disparate pretextual stops and searches while filling the citys coffers with tickets that often cost hundreds of dollars each.

Whether its someones life or the hundreds of dollars in fines, the cost is too much for a relatively minor infraction, Asm. Ting said at a press conference announcing The Freedom to Walk Act (AB 1238) in March. Its time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians.

Stopping, Searching, Citing, and Arresting Black Residents

In Los Angeles County, Black people account for 23 percent of jaywalking stops and citations. Black residents and are three times more likely to be stopped and cited by LA County Sheriffs deputies than white pedestrians, and 3.7 times more likely to be stopped and cited by members of the LAPD.

These numbers may be alarmingly high, but there are jurisdictions with worse disparities. Sacramento is one of them. In 2016, half of the 233 jaywalking tickets Sacramentos law enforcement officers issued went to Black people. Yet, Black individuals make up just 15 percent of the citys population.

Data from the Racial Identity and Profiling Act (RIPA)

Arbitrarily and disparately enforced jaywalking laws emerged in the 1930s, backed by the booming auto industry, with the intention of improving streets for an ever-increasing number of drivers and shifting the blame for driver-pedestrian accidents to pedestrians.

Legalizing most street crossings would go a long way toward addressing a system that disproportionately impacts Black residents and saddles low-income individuals and families with tickets costing hundreds of dollars, according to Asm. Phil Ting and the advocacy organizations he partnered with to introduce the bill CalBike, California Walks, and Los Angeles Walks. In California, jaywalking citations cost at least $197.

Low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to be cited for crossing unsafely due to societal racial bias and poor crosswalk conditions in their neighborhoods that emphasize drivers needs over other road users, said Caro Jauregui, Co-Executive Director of California Walks. Walking should not be a dangerous activity in the communities where people rely on walking for transportation.

The bill repeals portions of state law that place blanket prohibitions on pedestrians stepping into a non-residential street under any circumstances other than when crossing between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices or by police officers.

AB 1238 would prohibit a pedestrian who crosses or enters a roadway when no cars are present from being subject to a fine or criminal penalty.

The bill does, however, have a carveout for street crossings in which a reasonably careful person would know that an approaching vehicle was so near or moving so fast that crossing would constitute an immediate hazard. Some advocates have expressed concern that this language will create just enough legal space for police to continue problematic jaywalking stops.

The bill passed through the Assemblys Transportation Committee on April 27, and is now awaiting a hearing in the Appropriations Committee.

Meanwhile, last Tuesday, May 4, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to officially support AB 1238.

Crash data, motion author Supervisor Holly Mitchell wrote, shows that the number one cause of death in a car crash [involving a pedestrian] is the speed of the vehicle, rather than behavior from people walking.

Traffic safety improvements that redesign streets and increase pedestrian amenities are more effective at reducing traffic fatalities than any other strategy, said Mitchell. For instance, installing an all pedestrian phase signal (pedestrian scramble) reduces pedestrian crashes by up to 35 percent.

The board received a handful of public comments in favor of the motion.

In many neighborhoods and communities, the length of the sidewalk from one crosswalk to the other is ridiculously long, said Maygin McEwen. Depending on ones physical condition it is far more difficult to go an eighth of a mile to the corner across the street go another eighth of a mile back down to where you need to go when you could have simply crossed the street at a safe time.

One woman wrote to the board to say that she had been arrested and jailed overnight for allegedly jaywalking. This is a corrupt system that shouldnt exist! the commentor, Tieira, said. Pedestrians deserve more space to walk!

We need to support walking and not arrest people, especially people of color, for trying to safely cross the street, said Deborah Murphy, chair of the City of Los Angeles Pedestrian Advisory Committee and founder of Los Angeles Walks.

In February, the Los Angeles City Council voted to explore options for replacing police enforcement of traffic violations, which includes jaywalking, with a team of unarmed civilian responders, likely from the Department of Transportation. With their vote, the councilmembers directed the DOT to conduct a feasibility study focused on civilian-led traffic enforcement. Transportation officials were also tasked with creating a task force that will hold community listening sessions and develop recommendations for traffic safety alternatives to the citys current enforcement system.

The need for systemic change around traffic safety in Los Angeles and across the state is made clear in a recent report from Advancement Project Californias RACE COUNTS Initiative and PUSH LA.

The report revealed that LAPD officers spent 183,616.3 hours on stops for traffic violations between January and September 2019. And they tended to spend more time on stops involving Black individuals than white people.

Black people were five times more likely to be stopped and just under nine times more likely to be arrested for traffic violations than white people, according to the report. And Latinx individuals were 1.6 times more likely to be stopped for traffic violations and 3.5 times more likely to be arrested than their white peers.

The report recommended agencies immediately cease the use of extremely dangerous and harmful pretextual stops, remove the LAPDs scandal-plagued Metro Division from South LA, ban vehicle consent searches, and hold officers accountable for wrongdoing. Report authors also call for improvements to urban design that boost traffic safety, as well as the adoption of strategies that address the root causes of traffic safety issues.

The recommendations from this report outline the changes needed to move towards reimagining public safety in a way that honors the clarion call of activists, while actually improving safety outcomes at once, said Los Angeles Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

Image by swanksalot, Creative Commons.

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CA Bill Could Bring Freedom to Cross the Street Without Fear of Criminalization for Jaywalking | - witnessla.com

Thursdays updated Charter statement concludes that the current form of Bill C-10, along with the proposed amendments, does not threaten freedom of speech.

Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

A Charter review completed by the Justice Department has found that there are no concerns related to freedom of speech in the updated version of Bill C-10, which amends the Broadcasting Act.

The Justice Department examined Bill C-10 in its current form, including proposed amendments, and released the updated statement on how it complies with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on Thursday.

The review happened at the request of MPs on the heritage committee, which is reviewing the bill. Opposition committee members asked for a new Charter statement after a Liberal amendment in April removed a section that excluded user-generated content from the legislation. This led to concerns that the Broadcasting Act could regulate Canadians social media posts, and as a result infringe on the right to freedom of speech.

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Dishonest censorship scare may torpedo Bill C-10, a chance to update broadcasting laws for the modern era

Is it possible that maybe Steven Guilbeault hasnt actually read Bill C-10?

Opposition Leader Erin OToole said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that his party will vote against Bill C-10 regardless of the new Charter statement. I am glad the Liberals have listened to our demands for a Charter review to changes they made to C-10, he said, but went on to ask the government to withdraw the bill. Mr. OToole also said that if the bill is passed, a Conservative government would repeal it and introduce a new approach to regulate web giants and protect Canadian culture.

In Question Period shortly afterward, Deputy Opposition Leader Candice Bergen questioned the government on Bill C-10. Can the Heritage Minister just admit that what these Liberals are trying to do actually has nothing to do with promoting Canadian content, she said, and everything to do with stifling free speech and expression?

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said that freedom of expression is a pillar of Canadas democracy. I want to ensure all members of this House, and all Canadians, that our government will never limit freedom of expression, she said. That is not what this bill does.

Committee members voted to pause their line-by-line review of the bill on Monday to seek a new Charter statement and hear testimony from ministers and experts. Thursdays updated Charter statement concludes that the current form of Bill C-10, along with the proposed amendments, does not threaten freedom of speech.

The Government has proposed amendments to Bill C-10 that would limit the ability of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to regulate an online undertaking that provides a social media service in respect of programs posted by its unaffiliated users, reads the statement, later stating that the CRTCs regulatory powers would be imposed on the social media service, not on its unaffiliated users.

The statement goes on to conclude that the relevant considerations from the initial Charter review remain valid and these considerations are not impacted by the proposed amendments.

The Department of Justice reviews every government bill to ensure it complies with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms before legislation is debated. An original Charter statement for Bill C-10 was tabled in November, a couple weeks after the bill was first introduced by Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. Charter statements are not usually updated during a bills progress though Parliament.

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Bill C-10 is meant to update the Broadcasting Act and level the playing field between traditional broadcasters and internet streaming giants, according to the government. Its meant to ensure that streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify abide by the same rules that govern traditional broadcasters in Canada. That would mean they have to offer a certain amount of Canadian content, and contribute financially to Canadian production.

Earlier this month, Liberals on the heritage committee introduced new amendments that they said would put to rest any questions about the bill infringing on freedom of speech. The text of one of their amendments introduced last Thursday is very similar to the original Section 4.1, which was removed a few weeks before, though it is placed in a different section of the bill.

On May 11, Quebecs National Assembly passed a unanimous motion supporting Bill C-10. The motion cited how the bill would ensure the promotion and protection of cultural content, a significant concern in Quebec.

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Charter review finds no freedom of speech infringement with amended broadcasting bill - The Globe and Mail

St. Louis Park Police Chief Mike Harcey is a true professional and a fine man, so I was surprised by his comments about the Daunte Wright protests and poor treatment of journalists. Our First Amendment of the Constitution specifically insists on freedom of the press.

The framers of our Constitution understood that a free press is the only way that we citizens could know what is happening and hold our government accountable by voting and petitioning. This is what sets us apart from countries ruled by despots, countries where police routinely injure and arrest reporters.

Reporters are professionals who know what they are doing. They take care of themselves and do not interfere with police activities. However, its becoming more and more common for police officers to interfere with reporters even when they position themselves a safe distance from the action. Last summer, foreign reporter Stefan Simons of Deutsche Welle was shot at with projectiles by Minneapolis police officers and threatened with mace and arrest. In his news report, he simply stated, They should have let us do our job. Our police must not interfere with the activities of press reporters in any situation. Reporters should not be punched in the face, forced to the ground, sprayed with chemicals, arrested or detained. Not in the USA!

Any peace officer who is deescalating conflict in a raucous demonstration should know that the reporter is his best friend, documenting for us and the world that the officer is doing his best to calm the situation so that all his fellow citizens can get home safely. This is honorable work that can win our highest respect.

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LETTER: Constitution insists that police allow freedom of the press - ECM Publishers

Madam Chair, I wish to thank the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Ms Teresa Ribeiro, for her report. Teresa - many thanks for the helpful and clear description of the trends in the OSCE region and, by extension, the challenges you face in helping participating States protect and promote media freedom. As mentioned in your remarks today, you are here to support us as participating States to meet our OSCE principles and commitments.

Media freedom and ensuring the safety of journalists remains a priority for the UK. Media freedom is a cornerstone of democracy - essential for holding governments to account. We believe that people must be able to discuss and debate issues freely, to challenge their governments, and to make informed decisions, supported by access to information provided by a strong, robust and independent media.

The UK welcomes your transparency in describing the manner in which you will work to deliver against your mandate. We agree with your emphasis on a sustained, focussed and tailored approach, with public interventions on individual cases where required, but without losing sight of your overall objective on concrete progress on media freedom across the OSCE region.

As you recognise in your report, different cases have different backgrounds and demand different responses. We share your concern about the shrinking space for media in Belarus and also underline your concerns on Russia on the labelling of foreign agents, on judicial abuse and legal harassment, and the abuse faced by journalists during public gatherings in support of Navalny.

Many of those and other concerns in the report are shared by the UK. We understand why you describe the current media landscape in the OSCE region as bleak, with a shrinking space for media freedom. The safety of journalists, both online and offline, remains a real concern, with the online safety of female journalists a particular concern. We are grateful for the work done already in creating the Safety of Female Journalists Online Resource Guide, and commend the Guides recent publication in Serbian and Russian languages.

We also agree that disinformation is a problem, and merits increased attention. Given the public harm that can be caused by disinformation, it is important that we fully understand the challenges around tackling malign foreign interference, safeguarding our elections, responding to disinformation and information manipulation and engaging with social media platforms.

Madam Chair, we have all freely signed up to a series of OSCE commitments on media freedom and freedom of expression. It is important that every participating State offers the direct, open and productive contacts that the RFoM requires. The Representatives future success will depend on the actions and reactions of us participating States.

As we said in our statement last week to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, whilst the UK is determined to protect and promote media freedom globally, we also recognize there are areas for improving our domestic media environment which we are committed to doing.

We appreciate that any open and genuine dialogue will include challenging discussions on difficult subjects, such as the tragic killing of Lyra McKee. Where appropriate, we aim to share examples of best practice and lessons learned - including at next weeks Stockholm Media Freedom Conference, where we will share our National Action Plan on Safety of Journalists.

Madam Chair, the RFOM is a critical institution for the OSCE region. It is important its mandate is implemented in an impartial, independent and objective manner. We thank you, Teresa, for your efforts since assuming your mandate and offer you, and your staff, full support in the months ahead.

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OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media: UK response - GOV.UK