🗣 Free Speech Union ✊
@NZFreeSpeech
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We are a registered trade union with a mission to fight for, protect, and expand your rights to freedom of speech, conscience, and intellectual inquiry.
New Zealand
Joined July 2018
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It's a pleasure for us to release the 2023 Annual Report of the Free Speech Union:
From major campaign victories to legal fights in our highest court, dozens of events that met with thousands of supporters, to high-level meetings changing our leaders'
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Justice Gendall has rejected the application to overrule the decision by Immigration New Zealand to allow entry for
@ThePosieParker
into the country.
This is the only right result for a nation that values tolerance, the ability to debate, and free speech.
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Defendant in Posie Parker assault case discharged without conviction, name suppression granted. FSU to appeal.
The young man who assaulted an elderly woman at the Posie Parker event in Albert Park last year has been discharged without conviction, with permanent name suppression
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We’ve been informed that students at Mellons Bay Primary School who do not comply with using the preferred pronouns of other students will be disciplined. We’ve written to the principal expressing our concern that this is a violation of students’ rights to free expression.
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Another major free speech victory today.
Marlborough District Council has accepted all three of the FSU’s demands, in order to avoid legal action we had ready to file.
1. By Friday, the Mayor will release a public apology to Let Kids Be Kids for their discriminatory
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It would be funny if it weren't so true... 🫣🤦♀️
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Irony doesn't mean much when it comes to our suffocating-would-be-censors.
@VicUniWgtn
, one of NZ’s largest universities, postponed a panel on free speech after students “freak out” it might platform individuals who may make them feel “unsafe”.
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After punching a 71-year old in the face, and pleading guilty to the charge, the individual is given name suppression. 🤦😭
How is this not manifestly unjust? Why is the victim‘s speech suppressed, so that she isn’t allowed to name her assailant?
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Today, Daniel Maxwell appeared in court in Auckland after being arrested last year for counter-protesting at a pro-Palestinian rally.
You won’t believe the reason listed on the Court’s Summary of Facts:
“Police have been informed by the Palestinian rally organisers that their
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Almost 25,000 Kiwis signed our public letter following the Posie Parker rally. In addition to our meeting with the Police Commissioner, and ongoing engagement with
@nzpolice
, we're pleased the Conduct Authority will be conducting a review.
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If you don’t want to see
@Glinner
talk about cancel culture and free speech, fine, don’t attend his event.
If you don’t want to hear him speak about the issue, fine, don’t listen.
If you don’t want to read about him in the media. Don’t.
But where do you get off controlling
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That rule now is the angriest, loudest mob gets to choose who is heard… how, exactly, does this end well?
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We’re proud to announce our next FSU tour!
Graham Linehan, the celebrated Irish comedy writer and comedian, is heading to New Zealand in March!
He’ll showcase his latest work, ‘Tough Crowd’ – a book combining a comedy-writing masterclass with a diary highlighting the challenges
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Glad to see
@_chloeswarbrick
accepts that one person's hate speech is another's uncomfortable truth.
She should be allowed to speak freely.
Is she willing to give this freedom to others, too?
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"If students are not resilient enough or mature enough to be able to deal in ideas - even those that they find uncomfortable - then maybe they shouldn't be at university."
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Hate speech laws have been dropped entirely! After almost 2 years of constant fighting, free speech has won the day. A major victory for this basic freedom.
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This whole saga needs to be a wake up call. If debates on free speech can’t occur at universities, where else should we expect them to take place? A society that abandons free speech is necessarily condemned to be less equal, less free, and more violent.
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Last week,
@franks_lawyer
wrote to our members about "Momo", a Free Speech Union member who was in trouble. If you caught our update over the weekend, you'll know that this story had a happy ending.
Momo wanted to send you a personal note of thanks, which we copy here:
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Universities should be the very place we expect to hear provocative speech, and ideas that may make us uncomfortable.
If universities are pandering to students too afraid to hear opinions that differ from their own, what is the point of the university, now?
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How does this end NZ? The reaction today is a major blow to a culture that tolerates difference and allows debate. What options are left on the table when speech and debate are removed?
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We simply must reject making 'a currency out of offense.'
If we pander to those who cry the loudest, we incentivise childish behaviour, and will likely miss the truly marginalised and suffering.
One of the important points our CEO made on the
@VicUniWgtn
free speech 'panel'.
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.
@Glinner
is in New Zealand and (once he’s recovered from a little jet lag) will be starting his whirlwind tour next week! You’ll see him in media around the country, so check it out.
Here he is late last night as he arrived (along with a police escort through customs) at
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Yesterday, our CEO received a disturbing phone call.
A criminal barrister, Lucy, started the phone conversation by saying, ‘Yesterday, I was arrested for holding a sign at a pro-Palestinian protest.’ She certainly had our attention!
We’ll let her tell you in her words.
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‘“I do not accept that protest and counter-protest should be expected to end in violence,” the Judge said.
“People in this diverse and tolerant society when they go to protests should expect that they can protest peacefully.”’
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We’re thrilled to have had two meetings today with Deputy Prime Minister
@winstonpeters
and members of other parties to give Judith Hobson (the woman who was assaulted in Albert Park) the opportunity to share her story. In a modern liberal democracy, we shouldn’t still be
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We're fighting to ensure that the Royal Commission on Inquiry examines the ways Government actions and decisions undermined our free speech in New Zealand.
Would you take 3 minutes now to submit?
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Today, we've announced a specific membership within the FSU for academics.
Academic freedom is under threat, and we're turning up to the fight. At 12pm, academics will be able to join us & push back against the leaders in our unis who are failing to protect the right to speak.
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Drowning out. Silencing. Cancelling. Since when was this a constructive, meaningful way to have your say, to reason and persuade? If you want to have your say and be heard, use your words. Listen. Counter. But simply being noisy doesn’t persuade anyone.
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Does the Nursing Council think it’s up to them to police the speech of nurses?
An FSU supporter contacted us when a Facebook comment she made in a private capacity was the reason a complaint was laid against her with the Nursing Council of New Zealand. She’s not even currently
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Who gave councils the authority to decide which views we can and can’t hear?
The law is clear: Councils do not get to decide which opinions can and cannot be expressed in facilities funded by ratepayers.
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The collective decision by NZ's largest media outlets to not run ads by Family First is a dereliction of their responsibility as publishers, and contradicts their claims of impartially. By putting their fingers on the scales of public opinion, picking and choosing which interest
What are the mainstream media afraid of? Is there a Media Cabal?
#WhatIsAWoman
#woman
#biology
#media
#nzmedia
#christian
#faith
#family
#familyfirst
#familyfirstnz
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The Federation of Islamic Associations New Zealand (
@FIANZ_NZ
), has released material to Muslim parents encouraging them to engage in their schools, making their opposition to Pride Week in Kiwi schools known. This has been denounced as bigotry by Pride organisations.
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Hundreds turned out for our final event with
@glinner
in Christchurch. Despite attempts to suppress and demonise, Kiwis up and down the country have turned out and spoken up, joining in the conversation on free speech and cancel culture.
While they gave it their best, our
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You may have heard this week that a woman was allegedly removed from New World Ōtaki because of the slogan on her t-shirt and was later trespassed from the store. We’ve written to the Owner Operator to seek clarification on the incident and express our concerns.
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Which do we want: universities to be institutions of indoctrination, or spaces dedicated to developing knowledge and discovering truth.
They can't be both.
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If thousands of academics were telling you that they work in a culture of fear, don't you think the
@nzteu
would come to their defense? We wish they would!
But unfortunately, we know many academics in NZ feel the TEU not only fails to defend them, the TEU is their opponent.
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Eventbrite succumbs to bullying, falls into censorship trap
Ticketing company Eventbrite has rescinded its services for Genspect's upcoming conference following an activist's complaints over views they allege the conference will platform. Eventbrite should not allow themselves
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Fantastically strong statement on free speech from Otago University. This should be the new gold standard by which other universities will be judged. It includes:
“The University affirms that it will not restrict debate or deliberation simply because the ideas put forth are
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“It’s no wonder victims don’t go to court, because they become victims all over again.”
Not only should the defendant be punished, but Judith Hobson should be free to speak. How is it fair that she is unable to share her story?
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Te Whatu Ora must stand by employees’ rights to freedom of thought and speech
The Free Speech Union insists that Te Whatu Ora stand by their employees’ rights of freedom of thought and speech after an incident last week.
We were informed by one of their members who’d had a
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No one has to listen to anyone else. If you wish to go, fine. But save us your crocodile tears for the demise of ‘the virtual town square’.
Town squares let everyone in, let everyone have their say. And that’s what you’re furious over.
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How do we address opposition to intellectual diversity? How do we stand up to ideological bullies, and push back?
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Those who seek to exercise their lawful speech rights are entitled to protection from those who would use violence to stop them.
That the question even needs to be asked of the Prime Minister as to whether those rights will be upheld speaks volumes.
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We’re concerned by reports we’ve received regarding this expulsion at Pakuranga College (seemingly on speech grounds) and will be contacting the college to inquire about this case.
If you have more information about the reason the student was expelled, contact us at team
@fsu
.nz
Pakuranga College student was expelled today for reading scripture to a group of students who chose to gather and listen.
Watch the 🧵 of videos.
#nzpol
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Lord Jonathan Sumption is one of the great intellects of our time and an ardent defender of free speech, so we’re honoured to host him in New Zealand soon. We have three fantastic opportunities that you can hear from him:
1. On Monday 30th October at 5:30pm, we are partnering
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Hypocrisy stinks.
"The
@NZHumanRights
Commission, known for its frequent commentary on racist remarks and divisive statements by public figures, has remained conspicuously silent regarding Kiri Tamihere-Waititi’s recent social media video."
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Looking forward to a great night at the Horse & Trap for our sold out event with
@Glinner
.
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'Hate speech laws' have been dropped! This is a major win for free speech-loving Kiwis.
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If speech is not free at universities, the very place that exists to test and challenge ideas, then where will it be free?
The opposition which has grown in New Zealand against free speech has started at universities.
Steps to address this can't come soon enough.
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The
@NZLawCommission
was been told by
@PaulGoldsmithMP
that their review of the Human Rights Act mustn't consider 'hate speech' laws.
But that's exactly what they're doing, anyway.
It really shouldn't be illegal to disagree with gender theory. Remind Paul now, and sign our
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"The essence of free speech is recognising that many sincerely held views will be seen as distasteful… and it is best in a democracy to allow these to be expressed openly, despite the discomfort some may feel."
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In a leaked internal survey from
@AucklandUni
, only 15% of academic staff in the law school (the top in the country) agreed they are “able to respectfully voice my views without fear of any negative impact”.
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1/6 A leaked consultation document from DIA shows plans to draft legislation that would entirely restructure the NZ censorship regime, bringing online speech, under the oversight of a 'Regulator' and 'Codes of Practice'. This overreach must be opposed.
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This afternoon, the Union got to meet with a principal of a large high school. We thought you'd be interested in our conversation.
More and more frequently, principals and parents are contacting the Free Speech Union, asking us what their rights are to speak out or hold beliefs
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“Free speech is the only truly safe space for minorities… The ultimate minority group, the ultimate oppressed minority, is the dissident.”
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"When I hear politicians say, 'No you can't have that discussion because people will do bad things if you try and have that discussion', I think that's so uncivilised, it’s so irresponsible."
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New Zealand is making headlines around the world once again, and for all the wrong reasons. It is difficult to imagine a more complete or a more shameful repudiation of a former generation of Kiwis’ embrace of… free speech.
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The first of our three events with
@Glinner
kicked off with a roar last night at our sold-out Auckland event.
Thanks to everyone who came along. How good to have an honest conversation in a world where anything against the status quo is usually slammed.
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Free speech is not violence; disagreeing is not terrorism. The Christchurch Call, originally set up specifically to combat terrorism is now promoting online censorship of legitimate opinions. We’ve written to the Prime Minister urging him to focus on violent extremism as
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It's all about the wording, aye
@FIANZ_NZ
?
Show us how the wording could be done clearly?
We'll wait...
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Interesting and important question- though ironic considering there was only one guest (and perspective) invited to speak on the
@ThePosieParker
issue on
@Breakfaston1
. Having someone in favour of her speech rights would have given us a chance to hear the counter-speech...
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"I thought it was... change a few words and she'll be right; and it just wasn't."
Really, Minister, you don't say?!
A Minister who fails to respect the basic foundations on which democracy is built (especially free speech) shouldn't be allowed anywhere near censorship laws.
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Kiwis want to be able to have conversations about important issues, without the sanctimonious insisting they’re platforming hate.
Numbers like this make the issue clear- media should pay attention.
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1/2 Incredibly the young man who assaulted a 70 year-old grandma at the Posie Parker event has been discharged today, without conviction, and has received permanent name suppression.
The inability for a victim to speak about assault and name the offender is salt in a raw wound.
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Free speech is even for conspiracy theorists; that's why
@Mihi_Forbes
and
@KeepingMum
must love our work!
They must also be strong opponents of the DIA's proposals to regulate misinformation, like we are, (cause if they aren't, they run the chance of being its first victims).
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"Dearest
@_chloeswarbrick
,
Thank you for yet another reminder that the introduction of hate speech laws in New Zealand would’ve been an unmitigated disaster.
We have a better slogan for you...
“From the Cape to the Bluff… We should be able to all… say stuff???
Yours in
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Did you hear the news?
@PaulGoldsmithMP
instructed the Law Commission to stop all work on hate speech laws. New Zealand will be better for it. Join us in thanking him here:
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“Fear is the great enemy of democracy…”
Of free speech, too.
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Public letter demands Minister of Immigration grant Posie Parker undisrupted re-entry into NZ
Calls by censorial activists insisting Andrew Little block Posie Parker's re-entry into New Zealand are authoritarian. In response, the Free Speech Union has released a public letter
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‘A lot of people feel afraid to say something in case they’re told ‘you’re not meant to say things like that’. How do we get around that, so people feel free to openly share?’
Great question
@MelChanGreen
! Hear what
@jon_rauch
had to say:
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Defence for free speech needs to be consistent, and principled.
We can address the major issue of illegal gang activity in our communities without betraying ourselves and abandoning the basic freedoms we all desire.
Be tough on illegal action- but silencing speech rarely
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Marama Davidson is right; harassment and violence are never acceptable.
Unfortunately, harassment and violence is often what occurs when you pursue her approach of combating division in New Zealand by 'shouting it out...'
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Obviously,
@MattyMcLean
knows best. If the great unwashed have concerns about handouts, re-educate them. Never mind that only 46% of Kiwis trust media, according to AUT. They're all 'Twitter lunatics'.
Media's condescension toward everyday Kiwi's opinions will be their undoing.
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Thugs' Veto strikes again: another Council abuses speech rights of ratepayers
A screening of the 'What is a Woman' documentary by a community group at a Tauranga council library has been cancelled following complaints alleging the event was transphobic and would amplify hate
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When embarking on this tour, we knew that cancel culture is very much still a fight we have on our hands.
If you needed any evidence, look no further.
Our team has been working around the clock, ensuring other venues and opportunities are lined up.
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#HateSpeech
laws will shut down important conversations and force people into polarised corners. They are a strategy to divide rather than bring us together
#FreeSpeech
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“To fight the haters, you need to know where they are, and you need to understand what it is they’re saying… and if you drive them underground by trying to silence them, actually you loose the ability of doing that.”
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The Law Commission has released a discussion paper considering changes to the Human Rights Act 1993 that will have major implications for questions of sex and gender.
There are three things you need to know from the outset:
1. The Law Commission have been explicitly told not
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Agree or disagree with the case put forward by
@aytchellesse
on sex vs gender- but that's the point. Make a case.
#nodebate
makes us all poorer, not least those who are already marginalised and excluded.
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Diversity, inclusion and… belonging! Fantastic!
So why won’t you allow
@letkidsbekidsnz
to hire a meeting room, Marlborough District Libraries? Diversity, inclusion and belonging, but only when it suits you?
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Just wondering, is this an extreme statement? You know, for a counter-extremism expert?
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This is the state of our culture as it relates to controversial or provocative ideas. Shut them out/down.
Why was
@OzraeliAvi
let in? Not because he's right or wrong; because NZ is a free country. People decide for themselves who to listen to.
Back off, you authoritarians.
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Good news, kids. It's OK; words aren't violence.
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A🧵: some interesting of the almost 600 pages of material released to us by
@VicUniWgtn
; with Ayling featuring on over 100 pages - it's fair to say, that the simple idea that individuals should be able to speak freely at universities nowadays causes quite the stir!
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We're calling on all political parties to refuse to adopt DIA's proposed super regulator.
Kiwis' speech should be free, even online. Sign our petition now.
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When
@glinner
stepped out of his conversation with
@DuncanGarnerNZ
, he claimed it was ‘the best interview of his life.’
Hear it for yourself! These are issues we need to be allowed to discuss.
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Update on Inflection Conference: our team has met with the management and security personnel at Takina, the new public venue in Wellington. We reminded them that they have a duty to not discriminate against those they disagree with, and that they can’t require excessive security
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Next month,
@jon_rauch
will be in NZ touring with us. A global free speech rock star, we're thrilled to have him! You'll see him across media around the country, but you can also see him at one of our public events: check them out.
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Australian journalist Avi Yemini is in New Zealand for a book tour featuring his recent release. Activists concerned about his position on controversial issues have contacted the venues which are hosting him, and tried to get them to cancel his tour.
The Free Speech Union has
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Lord Sumption is in NZ and already making waves- looks like he’s having a great time while he does it, too! His interview on Q+A was a major hit, and is already causing a splash- check it out:
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"Language is the first indicator of genocidality."
This is the claim made by Kate Hannah in the podcast released this week by Radio New Zealand (
@radionz
), Undercurrent. It is a 7-part series on Misinformation in New Zealand, hosted by
@SusieFergusonNZ
and there is one word for
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