That’s Debatable!’ is the weekly podcast of the Free Speech Union. Hosts Tom Harris and Jan MacVarish – both staffers at the FSU – talk about the free speech controversies that have erupted in the past week. Please like, subscribe and share.
With the FSU’s support, the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation - Rick Prior - is suing his own union after he was ‘cancelled’ for suggesting frontline officers are increasingly nervous about challenging people from ethnic minorities whom they suspect of breaking the law, given the spate of internal investigations into officers accused of being ‘racist’.
Following an interview on GB News in October 2024 which led to his suspension, Mr Prior was also locked out of his emails and IT system and told he wasn’t allowed to speak to the press or comment on social media. As reported in The Telegraph and with the backing of the FSU, Mr Prior is taking legal action against the Police Federation of England & Wales and you can support Rick here (https://freespeechunion.org/rickprior/).
In other news, on Monday 17th March, the Online Safety Act’s latest phase of duties came into force. They require social media platforms – on pain of massive fines – to identify and remove illegal content. Sites must complete risk assessments detailing how they deal with illegal material and implement safety measures to deal with the risk. The Telegraph reports that dozens of small internet forums have already blocked British users or shut down as new online safety laws come into effect, with one comparing the new regime to a British version of China’s “great firewall”.
Interestingly. the importance of internet forums and online anonymity was raised at our ‘From Faith to Faithless’ event last week. When labouring under the pervasive influence of a ‘high control’ religion, anonymous online communication becomes an essential ingredient for those taking their first tentative steps back to the wider world.
‘That's Debatable!’ is edited by Jason Clift.
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