Op-eds etc.
The most surprising thing about the cowardly attack on Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in New York is that it has taken more than 30 years for a fired-up fundamentalist to get to Rushdie. Since Ayatollah Khomeini issued his fatwa in February 1989, ordering all Muslims to kill Rushdie, the list of people attacked or […]
Elon Musk has given up his optimistic dream of putting Twitter back at the forefront of the fight for freedom of expression. But the attempt has shown how reluctant, even panicked, the elites in liberal democracies are towards the idea of giving everyone a voice through social media. (Loosely translated) Read the full article
By Raghav Mendiratta and Natalie Alkiviadou On March 1, 2022, Regulation 2022/350 of the Council of the European Union (EU) suspended broadcasting activities of Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in the EU until Russia ends the aggression against Ukraine and its media “cease to conduct propaganda actions” against the EU and its Member States. The Regulation (as well as the […]
The health of free speech depends more on a culture of free speech than on laws. By Jacob Mchangama and Jonathan Rauch. Is free speech under threat? What do we even mean when we talk about free speech? Jacob Mchangama, a Danish lawyer and human rights advocate, tackles those questions in his new book, Free Speech: A History from […]
The shooting in Buffalo last month was but the latest example of terrorist attacks becoming a lethal outlet for white supremacist grievances. What connects much of this violent right-wing extremism is that the perpetrators are radicalized or share their ideas—sometimes even stream their terrorist attacks—online. In fact, several terrorists have explicitly cited other terrorists as inspiration for their deadly deeds in […]
Justitia CEO Jacob Mchangama discusses the threat to free speech around the world on PBS The Open Mind. Watch the interview on PBS landingpage.
Banning political symbols sets a dangerous precedent Having experienced the warmth and openness of Victorians, the idea of the Garden State as a stomping ground for neo-Nazi efforts to establish a Fourth Reich Down Under seems bizarre. Yet, Victoria is set to enact a law banning the public display of Nazi swastikas ‘to stamp out […]
Der Publizist Jacob Mchangama findet es richtig, dass auf Twitter bald wieder alles gesagt werden darf. Dass Elon Musk die einflussreiche Plattform aber im Alleingang übernommen hat, hält er für gefährlich. Read the full piece
In 2017, a group of tech executives prostrated themselves before hostile British MPs who demanded tougher action on hate speech. Twitter´s representative announced that the platform was abandoning its “John Stuart Mill-style philosophy“, declaring it was “no longer possible to stand up for all speech”. Yet, Elon Musk´s recent acquisition of Twitter for $44bn is premised on […]
The EU is passing legislation that will weaken free speech laws beyond the breaking point. Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has caused fear and loathing among pundits and politicians wary of his vow to revert the platform to its position as “the free speech wing of the free speech party.” These fearful elites might seek solace in Europe, where Musk’s techno-utopian […]