Freedom of speech

One of Britain’s most famous comedians has defended Boris Johnson’s “joke” about the Islamic burqa face veil, calling it “funny” and “an almost perfect simile”. Rowan Atkinson, the man behind Mr Bean and Blackadder , which frequently mocked historical and religious figures, said that the former foreign secretary should not have to apologise for offending Muslims. Other comedians such as Jonathan Pie creator Tom Walker, promptly chimed in with their own satirical takes: https://twitter.com/JonathanPieNews/status/1027835411819913216 Mr Johnson, a former two-time Mayor of London, compared women who wear the burqa to “bank robbers” and questioned why they would “go around looking like letter boxes” in a Telegraph column earlier this week. In a letter to The Times this Friday, Mr Atkinson wrote: “Sir, As a lifelong beneficiary of the freedom to make jokes about religion, I do think that Boris Johnson’s joke about wearers of the burka resembling letterboxes is a … [Read more...] about Rowan Atkinson Backs Boris Johnson’s Right to ‘Cause Offence’ on Burqa

The uncaged bird is apparently singing. Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images Chief Twit Elon Musk recently said that the code for Twitter’s algorithm would be open-source , but someone else who had access to the company’s source code may have beaten the billionaire to the transparency punch. Twitter revealed in a court filing over the weekend that a GitHub user named “FreeSpeechEnthusiast” had posted the company’s proprietary source code on the platform, exposing the social network’s intellectual property for all the world’s hackers to see. The username may be a dig at Musk, who has repeatedly claimed that free speech will be Twitter’s new North Star, no matter the consequences. The company had GitHub take the code down on Friday and asked a U.S. District Court in California to order GitHub to unmask the uploader, along with anyone who downloaded the code. As the Verge noted Monday , this was a major, potentially damaging security breach: Proprietary source … [Read more...] about Who Leaked Twitter’s Source Code?

States across the country are considering legislation that would ban Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  (DEI) initiatives on college campuses, according to a new tracker promoted by the Chronicle of Higher Education. State lawmakers should introduce bills to counter the growing DEI presence because “radical political activists now command so strong a position within universities,” David Randall, National Association of Scholars director of research, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “State legislators’ work is necessary, but all of us must work to free higher education from the pervasive tyranny of DEI bureaucracies,” he said. Several states are considering legislation that would stifle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts on college campuses across the country, according to a new tracker operated by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The slew of legislation largely tackles banning mandatory DEI training, DEI-centered offices or programs or using DEI … [Read more...] about ‘Indoctrinate Students’: State Lawmakers Are Pushing Back On The Diversity Initiative Takeover On College Campuses

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine attempted to update its curriculum to adopt social justice advocacy requirements without alerting the public, according to documents obtained by National Association of Scholars (NAS) Senior Fellow and Director of University Policy John Sailer. The Department of Allied Health Sciences formed a task force to recommend policies it could implement to embed social justice in its curriculum, but administrators attempted to keep all information internal, according to emails obtained by Sailer. “The UNC Board of Governors likewise passed a prohibition against compelled speech, which will likely put an end to mandatory DEI statements — a groundbreaking policy. But if UNC is serious about supporting academic freedom, and pushing back against the ever-narrowing orthodoxy on campus, they need to know what they’re up against,” Sailer told the Daily Caller News Foundation. A University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine … [Read more...] about University’s Health Leadership Privately Discussed Ways To Keep ‘Equity’ Initiatives From Public

close Video Supreme Court hearing arguments in tech free speech cases Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley joined Americas Newsroom to discuss two cases before the Supreme Court dealing with free speech on the internet. FIRST ON FOX – The Supreme Court has been asked to rule on a Washington state law that bans therapists from encouraging patients against transitioning to a different gender. On Monday, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a civil rights nonprofit firm, filed a petition to the Supreme Court for Brian Tingley, a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state who claims the law is unconstitutional because it prohibits certain private client-counselor conversations on sexual orientation and gender. ADF says the law only allows a one-way discussion about gender transitioning. "For example, it allows counseling conversations that aim to steer young people toward a transgender identity but prohibits conversations that aim … [Read more...] about Supreme Court asked to rule on state law that prohibits therapists from counseling against gender transition

close Video Los Angeles police union files suit against owner of 'killer cop' website LAPD detective Jamie McBride joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss concerns surrounding the massive leak and why he believes the 'reckless behavior' will 'incite violence' against police officers. Twitter suspended an account that offered bounties on the heads of Los Angeles police officers following the police department releasing photos, names and serial numbers for all cops in the city to an anti-police group. "We are appreciative of Twitter acting swiftly to take down this dangerous site that called for the murder of Los Angeles police officers," Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said in a press release Monday from the police union. More than 9,000 photos, names and serial numbers for police in Los Angeles were released to anti-police group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition earlier this month through a public records … [Read more...] about Twitter suspends ‘KillerCops’ account that put bounties on police officers after massive LAPD data release