#freedom of expression
#freedom of expression

For international students, protesting on campuses has higher stakes

Students facing consequences for protesting despite celebrating freedom of expression. [ more ]

The Sacramento Bee

San Francisco

Congress members, activists decry assaults against anti-China protesters during San Francisco summit

A man protesting against China's ruling Communist Party in San Francisco was attacked by pro-China supporters.

Congressional leaders condemned the violence and called for justice.

The man and another protester were injured and hospitalized as a result of the attack. [ more ]

Open Culture

The First Recording of Allen Ginsberg Reading "Howl" (1956)

Banned Books Week raises awareness about the continuous challenges, suppression, and banning of books despite modern beliefs. [ more ]

www.npr.org

A student club is suing its school, saying its pro-Palestinian views were censored

Students at a Washington, D.C. public school sue over censorship of pro-Palestinian speech, citing rights violation. [ more ]

www.dw.com

Islamist demo goes ahead in Hamburg under strict conditions DW 05/11/2024

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser welcomed strict conditions imposed on Islamist demonstration in Hamburg. [ more ]

www.dw.com

1 day ago

Germany: AfD politician struck with ashtray in pub argument DW 05/17/2024

Incidents of violence against politicians, like the recent attack on an AfD member, highlight the rising political violence concerns in Germany. [ more ]

www.theguardian.com

Why has Georgia's foreign agents' bill caused so much protest and anger?

The controversial foreign agents' bill in Georgia requires NGOs and media receiving over 20% of funding from foreign sources to register, triggering protests and condemnation. [ more ]

The Atlantic

Colleges Love Protests-When They're in the Past

American universities facing criticism for celebrating past activism while restricting current protests. [ more ]

Truthout

Top UN Human Rights Official Raises Alarm Over Repression of Student Protests

UN expresses concern over arrests of protesters on U.S. campuses. [ more ]

moreprotests

Engadget

Joe Biden signs the bill that could ban TikTok in the United States

TikTok challenges law forcing sale or ban in the US. [ more ]

Fox Business

TikTok CEO voices disappointment in House vote to ban social media platform

TikTok CEO reacts to potential ban in US

Impact on small businesses and American jobs [ more ]

literature

www.theguardian.com

Romantasy, AI and Palestinian voices: publishing trends emerge at London book fair

Palestine highlighted at London Book Fair

Neurodiversity representation in literature [ more ]

The Atlantic

The Atlantic Publishes "The Great American Novels," a New List of the Most Consequential Novels of the Past 100 Years

Project 'The Great American Novels' launched by The Atlantic

List includes 136 novels spanning 1924 to 2023, reflecting diverse genres and literary achievements [ more ]

Truthout

LGBTQ Advocates Condemn Passage of De Facto "Book Ban" in West Virginia

The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill allowing prosecution of displaying 'obscene' material to minors.

The bill could lead to a de facto book ban, impacting the decisions made by librarians. [ more ]

The Nation

Stop Picking on Public Libraries

Book banning attempts in the US have increased significantly in recent years

The American Library Association has reported a four-fold increase in banning attempts from 2003 to 2022 [ more ]

www.aljazeera.com

London politics

Irene Khan: Gaza, a genocide in the making'

Irene Khan is the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression.

Freedom of expression is facing unprecedented challenges globally. [ more ]

Electronic Frontier Foundation

EFF Helps News Organizations Push Back Against Legal Bullying from Cyber Mercenary Group

Cyber mercenaries pose a serious threat to human rights and freedom of expression.

Investigating and exposing these companies and their owners and customers is an effective way to combat the threat of targeted surveillance and cyber mercenaries. [ more ]

www.theguardian.com

Novelist breaks with German publisher amid call for wider cultural boycott over Gaza

Bosnian and Serbian novelist Lana Bastasic has terminated her contract with German publisher S Fischer due to their silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

There is a division of opinion over an all-out boycott of German cultural institutions over the government's pro-Israel stance. [ more ]

www.aljazeera.com

4 months ago

Nobel winner joins push to boycott German cultural institutions over Gaza

Over 500 global artists are urging creatives to boycott German state-funded associations due to Germany's stance on Israel's war on Gaza.

The campaign, called Strike Germany, accuses Germany of suppressing freedom of expression and adopting McCarthyist policies. [ more ]

moregermany

New York Post

Nepal bans TikTok over threats to 'social cohesion'

Nepal has announced a ban on TikTok, claiming that the app spreads malicious content and threatens social order.

The ban was reached through a consensus among all political parties in Nepal, but some critics argue that it stifles freedom of expression.

This is not the first country to ban TikTok, as India also previously banned the app for similar reasons. [ more ]

www.dw.com

Nepal bans TikTok citing 'indecent materials' DW 11/13/2023

Nepal has banned TikTok, following India's 2020 ban.

The ban is intended to regulate social media use and maintain social harmony.

The move has received criticism for stifling freedom of expression and calls for regulation instead of restrictions. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

1 week ago

The University of Chicago protest encampment drew attention to free speech standards.

University of Chicago removed pro-Palestinian protest encampment amid escalating tensions over Israeli military incursion in Gaza. [ more ]

www.aljazeera.com

1 week ago

The impact of student encampments for Gaza at universities worldwide

Student-led global movement advocating for Gaza conflict awareness. [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

15 hours ago

Teachers could get protection against blasphemy claims under new laws

Teachers may receive protection from blasphemy claims through government proposals, aiming to safeguard freedom of expression and prevent unnecessary suspensions. [ more ]

www.aljazeera.com

How students around the world are taking a stand for Gaza

Students worldwide are protesting against Israel's actions in Gaza, with over 50 US universities hosting Palestine solidarity encampments. [ more ]

www.aljazeera.com

How a Gaza protest at Indiana University became a battle for free speech

Police crackdowns on nonviolent protests have sparked debates on student rights and freedom of expression on college campuses. [ more ]

Slate Magazine

Why So Many Universities Are Calling the Police on Student Protesters Now

The recent wave of campus protests across the U.S. is being met with strong police responses, leading to numerous arrests. [ more ]

www.cbc.ca

1 week ago

Law

Ontario appeals decision striking down parts of agriculture law | CBC News

Ontario is appealing a judge's decision to strike down parts of an agriculture law that restricted exposure of farm conditions under false pretenses. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

4 days ago

US Elections

Opinion | Can This Ex-Republican Revive Democrats in Rural Ohio?

The story of a Republican-to-Democrat chairmanship shift in a heavily Republican county offers hope for Democrats in rural areas, emphasizing on freedom of expression within the Democratic party. [ more ]

Poynter

2 days ago

Media industry

Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa, experts on democracy and AI to lead GlobalFact as keynote speakers - Poynter

Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize winner, to speak at GlobalFact 11, emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression and fact-checking in democracy. [ more ]

Intelligencer

Student Protesters Are Schooling Their Universities

Universities may not always uphold their stated values under pressure. [ more ]

english.elpais.com

War in Gaza once again inflames American universities

Pro-Palestinian protests intensifying at U.S. universities amid the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

4 weeks ago

Opinion | Columbia, Free Speech and the Coddling of the American Right

Freedom of expression is a contentious issue on college campuses, leading to clashes between students and authorities. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Enrollment declines threaten small, independent art colleges

Affiliation agreements can save independent art colleges from closure.

Art colleges play a crucial role in preserving freedom of expression. [ more ]

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Design

Speaking Freely: Emma Shapiro

Emma Shapiro advocates for freedom of expression after facing censorship online and offline.

She emphasizes the importance of free expression for artists and the need for protection across platforms. [ more ]

The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

Design

Is the art trade choosing to ignore a wider world in crisis?

The year 2024 is anticipated to witness elections in over 70 countries, making it the largest election year globally.

Less than 8% of the world's population resides in a 'full democracy,' as per The Economist's Democracy Index. [ more ]

Cornell Chronicle

Design

Art exhibition to explore freedom of expression theme | Cornell Chronicle

Projects range from TV movie impact on immigrant child to quilting and architecture synergies

Exhibition showcases 15 projects in various media like video, fabric, music [ more ]

City & State NY

NYC politics

Adams defends NYPD's 'right to have an opinion'

NYPD officials defended for criticizing journalist

Mayor Adams supports police officers' right to express opinions [ more ]

Truthout

Left-wing politics

UK Gives Biden Opportunity to Dodge Assange Appeal by "Assuring" His Rights

Assange faces extradition for revealing war crimes

Court left room for Assange's appeal but with conditions [ more ]

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Meta Oversight Board's Latest Policy Opinion a Step in the Right Direction

The Meta Oversight Board advised Meta to end its blanket ban on the term 'shaheed' in reference to 'dangerous' individuals.

EFF partnered with ECNL to submit comment supporting free expression in response to Meta Oversight Board's call for comment. [ more ]

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Four Voices You Should Hear this International Women's Day

The impact of the digital age on freedom of expression worldwide is significant.

Technology can play a key role in ensuring safer online spaces for marginalized communities. [ more ]

Electronic Frontier Foundation

European Court of Human Rights Confirms: Weakening Encryption Violates Fundamental Rights

Weakening encryption allows general surveillance violating privacy rights

EFF supports strong privacy guarantees and encryption for freedom of expression. [ more ]

The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

From shadow bans to privacy laws: how the internet has become less free-by stealth

The internet can both empower and harm individuals and groups.

Governments worldwide are increasingly controlling online expression through new legislation and tactics. [ more ]

The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

morePrivacy professionals

Why artists fear online safety laws will chill freedom of expression

Lawmakers are introducing bills to curb tech companies' neglect of users' data and privacy

The recently passed UK Online Safety Act aims to target the spread of child sexual abuse material and harmful content [ more ]

english.elpais.com

Berlin music

Berlin's techno clubs, from euphoria after the fall of the Wall to today's cultural heritage

Berlin club culture's inclusion in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.

Unique features of Berlin club culture: no time restrictions, freedom of expression, and historical context. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

US politics

Supreme Court Stays Out of Dispute Over Drag Show at Texas University

The Supreme Court rejected the request from an L.G.B.T.Q. student group to hold a drag show on campus, citing no reasons.

Republican-led states are increasingly seeking to restrict drag show performances. [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

UK news

Michael Gove's department to create public list of blacklisted extremist' groups

The government plans to blacklist extremist groups from funding and interactions, using a new definition of extremism.

Criticism of the new definition from former home secretaries and religious leaders raises concerns about freedom of expression and targeting Muslim communities. [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

UK news

GB News presenter Neil Oliver cleared by Ofcom over turbo cancer' conspiracy claims

Neil Oliver has been cleared by Ofcom after making controversial claims about coronavirus vaccinations on GB News.

Ofcom received 70 complaints about Oliver's statements, but stated that he did not materially mislead the audience. [ more ]

www.theguardian.com

Europe news

Pro-war Russian blogger who revealed huge Avdiivka losses dies by suicide

Andrey Morozov, a pro-war Russian blogger, died by suicide after claiming Russian army lost 16,000 soldiers in the capture of Avdiivka.

Morozov's suicide was linked to pressure from superiors to delete his post on casualties, indicating internal conflicts and censorship issues. [ more ]

The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

Europe news

Russian artist charged with showing 'extremist imagery' faces four years in prison

Imprisoned artists face repercussions in Russia for freedom of expression.

Cases against artists in Russia highlight crackdowns on dissenting voices. [ more ]

WSJ

Europe news

Opinion | Erdogan's Turkey Doesn't Belong in the EU

The European Commission's annual report criticizes Turkey for disregarding human rights, increasing ties with Russia, and restricting freedom of expression.

Turkey's stance on Israel, particularly its support of Hamas, is seen as being in disagreement with the EU approach. [ more ]

Towleroad Gay News

NYC LGBT

Draconian: Sochi Olympics-Era "Gay Propaganda" Ban Expands To Forbid All Public LGBTQ Expression. New Russian Crackdown. Pt. 2 - Towleroad Gay News

Russia's legislature has enacted new laws that repress LGBTQ+ rights, expanding on the existing 'gay propaganda' law from 2013.

These laws ban all forms of LGBTQ+ representation in public and online, with violators facing heavy fines. [ more ]

Refinery29

Why Are Books Featuring Elderly Protagonists Trendy Right Now?

The resurgence of books with older protagonists

Older protagonists challenge expectations and bring authenticity [ more ]

Los Angeles Times

Opinion: Need help finding a good book? Try one your 9th grader isn't allowed to read

Book-banning efforts are increasing in conservative parts of the country, with instances recorded in 30 states.

Florida and Texas are leading the way in book-banning, along with Missouri, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Utah. [ more ]

PEN America

Russia Places Best-Selling Novelist Boris Akunin on its Wanted List

The Russian government has placed Boris Akunin, a popular novelist and critic of President Putin, on its wanted list for alleged criminal activity.

This move is part of a wider campaign by the Russian government to silence anti-war advocates and stifle dissent. [ more ]

PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news

Pink celebrates hometown as school board president swears in on banned books

Karen Smith, newly elected school board president in Pennsylvania, made a rebellious statement by being sworn in on a stack of frequently banned books.

Pink, who is from Pennsylvania, showed support for Smith and has been using her platform to criticize book bans. [ more ]

The Drum

Penguin Random House on its Unburnable Book against censorship

Penguin Random House won the Grand Prix and Physical Product Design awards at The Drum Awards for Design with its Unburnable Book that spoke out against censorship.

The Unburnable Book was a one-of-a-kind edition of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, designed to be impossible to burn.

The book received significant media coverage, with over 5,000 organic media hits and a reach of 12 billion worldwide. [ more ]

Scary Mommy

LeVar Burton Calls Out Moms for Liberty For Their Book Banning Nonsense

LeVar Burton criticized the hate group Moms for Liberty for trying to ban books and limit information in schools.

He emphasized the importance of fighting against book banning for the future of America.

Books are being targeted because they are powerful tools for understanding ourselves and our history. [ more ]

www.france24.com

France news

Six French teens handed suspended or brief jail terms for role in 2020 beheading of teacher

Six teenagers have been convicted in connection with the beheading of French history teacher Samuel Paty in 2020.

The teenagers were found guilty of charges related to taking part in a pre-meditated criminal conspiracy and helping to prepare an ambush. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

German Cultural Scene Navigates a Clampdown on Criticism of Israel

Concerns over artists' support for boycott of Israel lead to cancellations and suspensions in Germany

Germany's approach to combating antisemitism in the art world is criticized as overzealous and stifling free expression [ more ]

www.france24.com

Germany's historical guilt haunts opponents of Israeli war in Gaza

Germany's defense of Israel and bans on expressions of Palestinian solidarity are criticized for stifling freedom of expression.

Deborah Feldman, a Jewish author who escaped an ultra-Orthodox community, criticized Germany's special relationship with Israel and its implications for German Jews and Muslims.

Germany's post-war atonement for the Holocaust has shaped its staunch defense of Israel and restrictions on criticizing the Israeli government. [ more ]

www.aljazeera.com

Black Lives Matter

Denmark's parliament adopts law banning Quran burnings

Denmark has passed a bill making it illegal to publicly burn copies of the Quran, with fines or up to two years in prison as punishment.

The purpose of the law is to counter the systematic mockery and threats of terrorism intensified by such actions. [ more ]

Pitchfork

Music

Pussy Riot's Story Being Developed Into Scripted Series

A broke 20-year-old artist shares their story of facing a powerful and dangerous individual

The artist's dream is to see a peaceful and democratic country where diversity is accepted [ more ]

The Washington Times

Universities bringing up rear on free-speech rankings defend anti-Israel protesters

Harvard ranks last for freedom of expression among universities.

House Republicans criticize Harvard president for defending anti-Israel protests on campus. [ more ]

Advocate.com