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| Supporters of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil chain themselves to a fence at Columbia University, New York, 2 April 2025. Photograph: Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock |
It was once an article of faith that even those who speak words we disagree with deserve protection. As regards Palestine, that’s now not true
Mon 8 Jun 2026
Remember the Satanic Verses controversy? Remember “Je suis Charlie”? Remember the constant invocations of Voltaire and Orwell? The great irony of our age is that many of the cadre of politicians who spent years anointing themselves as champions of free speech have become its most enthusiastic enemies when the subject turns to one issue: Palestine.
For decades, western governments lectured the world about liberal values. They declared freedom of expression the hallmark of a liberal democratic society. Protest was deemed patriotic while the right to offend was considered sacred. Then came Gaza. Suddenly, the principles that we were once told were non-negotiable became highly negotiable indeed...
.... The actions are opaque, the message unmistakable: there are political causes the British establishment welcomes but also political causes it very much fears.
This isn’t even about Uygur or Piker’s views. Whether one agrees with everything either man has ever said is irrelevant. Piker, for example, referred to some Orthodox Jews as “inbred” and once said the US “deserved” 9/11, both offensive comments for which he has since expressed regret. Defending free speech is most crucial when that speech is controversial. You cannot show your support for free expression only by defending opinions you already share.
In the US, where I now live and vote, the situation is even more alarming.
The Trump administration’s targeting of pro-Palestinian voices and, in particular, foreign students should be seen as one of the most severe assaults on free expression in modern American history... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/08/uk-us-champion-free-speech-war-palestine
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]
