Latest news with #freedomOfSpeech
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
David Seymour set to take over as deputy PM
David Seymour has vowed to keep speaking freely as he takes over as deputy prime minister - while an unshackled Winston Peters shifts into campaign mode - with a plan to avoid another handover next term. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Prosecuting man for burning Qur'an ‘reintroducing blasphemy law', court told
Prosecuting a man for burning the Qur'an is 'tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law' in Great Britain, a trial has heard. Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted 'fuck Islam', 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'Qur'an is burning' as he held aloft the burning Islamic text outside the Turkish consulate in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, on 13 February, Westminster magistrates court heard. Coskun denies a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress', motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam', contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986. He also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress', contrary to section five of the Public Order Act 1986. At his trial on Wednesday, Katy Thorne KC, defending, said: 'The prosecution, in bringing this prosecution at all, is seeking to introduce a law unknown to this land, namely blasphemy in relation to Islam.' Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008 and in Scotland in 2021. In Northern Ireland, blasphemy laws date back to the early 19th century and, while rarely used, blasphemy and blasphemous libel remain offences. Coskun, giving evidence via a Turkish interpreter, told the court that he has the 'right' to criticise Islam but said that he does not like using swear words. Thorne said that burning the Qur'an 'cannot be a criminal offence' and accused the Crown Prosecution Service of an abuse of process in its decision to bring the case against Coskun. She said in her written argument: 'To render such an act a criminal offence is tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law in relation to Islam, rendering the Qur'an a specially protected object in the UK, where a flag or another book would not be, and rendering trenchant or offensive criticism of Islam a criminal offence, is also akin to reinstating an offence of blasphemy. 'People must be free to exercise their religious or non-religious beliefs and to manifest those beliefs in whatever non-violent way they choose, and any curtailing by the state of that freedom must be absolutely necessary in a democratic society.' Thorne said that Coskun 'did not exhort hate' but voiced his dislike and frustration with a religion. She added: 'He expressed nothing to suggest that he was hostile to those who followed Islam. 'He did so outside the Turkish Consulate, a political institution, which provides further evidence he was not seeking to persuade others to dislike Islam, but express his personal criticism of Turkey and its stance on Islam. 'His protest was specifically political and thus, it is submitted, requires the highest protection of freedom of speech.' Prosecutor Philip McGhee said that Coskun was not being prosecuted simply for the burning of the Qur'an, but for 'disorderly conduct'. McGhee said of Thorne's argument: 'There is simply no misconduct in this case.' District Judge John McGarva ruled that there was no abuse of process and dismissed the application. McGhee added that the decision to prosecute does not affect the ability of others to criticise religion. The prosecutor had earlier said that Coskun had deliberately chosen the time and location of his demonstration. He went on: 'His actions gave rise to a very clear threat to public order and went beyond a legitimate expression of protest, crossing the line to pose a threat to public order.' Turkey-born Coskun, who is half-Kurdish and half-Armenian, travelled from his home in the Midlands on 13 February and set fire to the Qur'an at about 2pm, the court heard. Coskun had posted on social media that he was protesting against the 'Islamist government' of Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who the defendant allegedly said 'has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a sharia regime', prosecutors said. Coskun, who is an atheist, believes that he protested peacefully and burning the Qur'an amounted to freedom of expression, the court heard. Ahead of his trial, in a quote released through the Free Speech Union, he said: 'Encountering such treatment in a country like England, which I truly believed to be a place where freedom prevailed, was a real shock to me.' His legal fees are being paid for by the Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society. The Free Speech Union said it is defending him 'not because we're anti-Islam, but because we believe no one should be compelled to observe the blasphemy codes of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim'. The prosecution and defence have finished their cases, but a further hearing will take place on Thursday afternoon, with a verdict likely to come on a later date, the court heard.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
US to penalise foreign officials who ‘censor' US companies, citizens
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US will place new visa restrictions on foreign officials who 'censor' American companies and citizens abroad for speech protected in the United States, warning that demanding greater content moderation by US social media companies is 'unacceptable'. 'I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,' Rubio said in a statement on Wednesday. The administration of US President Donald Trump has frequently depicted social media content moderation policies as a form of censorship targeting conservatives, and has criticised foreign governments that encourage such policies. 'Even as we take action to reject censorship at home, we see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials picking up the slack,' he said. 'In some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against US tech companies and US citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.' Rubio, who has helped spearhead a crackdown on international students who speak out against Israel's war in Gaza, did not name any foreign officials who the policy would target, but the administration has previously criticised countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Brazil on those grounds. 'Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over,' Rubio wrote in a post on X. Claims of anti-conservative censorship have also become a means for the Trump administration to strengthen ties with far-right parties and figures in Europe and around the globe. The Department of State on Tuesday shared an essay that calls for allies in Europe who embrace a 'shared Western civilizational heritage' and states that governments on the continent have 'weaponized political institutions against their own citizens'. 'Far from strengthening democratic principles, Europe has devolved into a hotbed of digital censorship, mass migration, restrictions on religious freedom, and numerous other assaults on democratic self-governance,' the essay reads, mirroring statements made by Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February. Still, criticising curbs on civil liberties and restrictions on speech is not exclusive to the right. Pro-Palestine groups have frequently decried restrictions in Europe and the United States, carried out under the pretext of combating anti-Semitism, but critics say extend to even basic expressions of Palestinian identity. Rubio's announcement comes as the administration continues a crackdown on international students involved in pro-Palestine protests at US universities, along with efforts to impose greater control over university curricula that the administration takes issue with. In recent remarks before the US Congress, Rubio defended the administration's decision to arrest and detain a Turkish international student named Rumeysa Ozturk for co-signing an op-ed calling for an end to US support for Israel's war in Gaza. Such actions have sparked strong criticism from civil liberties groups in the US, who say they are an effort to chill dissent.
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Convicting man over Koran burning would reintroduce blasphemy law, court told
Convicting a man for burning the Koran would be 'tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law', his defence team has told a court. Hamit Coskun appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after he allegedly shouted abusive slogans about Islam while burning the holy book outside the Turkish consulate in Knightsbridge, London, on 13 February. The 50-year-old denies a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour and an alternative charge of using disorderly behaviour "within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress". Katy Thorne, defending, said at his trial that the prosecution pursuing the case against Coskun was "seeking to introduce a law unknown to this land, namely blasphemy in relation to Islam". Blasphemy laws were abolished in England and Wales in 2008, with Scotland following suit in 2021. Ms Thorne told the court that burning the Koran "cannot be a criminal offence". "To render such an act a criminal offence is tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law in relation to Islam, rendering the Koran a specially protected object in the UK, where a flag or another book would not be, and rendering trenchant or offensive criticism of Islam a criminal offence, is also akin to reinstating an offence of blasphemy," she said in her written argument. "People must be free to exercise their religious or non-religious beliefs and to manifest those beliefs in whatever non-violent way they choose, and any curtailing by the state of that freedom must be absolutely necessary in a democratic society." She said Coskun "did not exhort hate" to those following Islam, but protested "outside the Turkish Consulate, a political institution, which provided further evidence he was not seeking to persuade others to dislike Islam, but express his personal criticism of Turkey and its stance on Islam". Ms Thorne added: "His protest was specifically political and thus... requires the highest protection of freedom of speech." 'Threat to public order' However, prosecutor Philip McGhee said Coskun was not charged simply for burning the Koran, but for "disorderly conduct". He said prosecuting Coskun did not impact the ability of others to criticise religion. Mr McGhee said Turkey-born Coskun, who is half Kurdish and half Armenian, had deliberately chosen the time and location of his protest, travelling from his home in the Midlands to the consulate to set alight the Koran at around 2pm. "His actions gave rise to a very clear threat to public order and went beyond a legitimate expression of protest, crossing the line to pose a threat to public order," Mr McGhee said. Coskun, an atheist, had said on social media he was demonstrating against the "Islamist government" of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he said had "made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a sharia regime", prosecutors said. The defendant's legal fees are being paid for by the Free Speech Union (FSU) and the National Secular Society (NSS). The FSU said it was defending Coskun "not because we're anti-Islam, but because we believe no one should be compelled to observe the blasphemy codes of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim". Stephen Evans, chief executive of the NSS, added: "A successful prosecution in this case could represent the effective criminalisation of damaging a Koran in public, edging us dangerously close to a prohibition on blasphemy." The trial, which is expected to last a day, continues.
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The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Fox News stars want Scott Pelley arrested and ‘60 Minutes' canceled over anti-Trump free speech defense
After spending the past few years railing against the Biden administration for its supposed attacks on free speech and censorship of social media platforms, Fox News is now calling for a CBS News journalist to be locked up and his show canceled for warning college graduates that 'freedom of speech is under attack.' What appears to be most rankling to the conservative news network's stars are Scott Pelley's comments in a commencement speech at Wake Forest that were sharply directed at President Donald Trump. A week after Pelley delivered an impassioned address, clearly targeted at Trump, MAGA world fully melted down over it after clips were shared online by a pro-Trump account. The speech went viral over the Memorial Day weekend as conservatives lashed out in anger and Fox News picked up the mantle after the holiday. 'Does he hate half the country as much as he hates President Trump?' anchor Harris Faulkner huffed on Tuesday morning's broadcast of The Faulkner Focus. 'He never mentions anything about the 76 million people who voted for Trump as being valuable and loved in the country. He goes after the man they voted for.' The portion that specifically incensed conservatives and Trump supporters was Pelley — whose network is currently facing a $20 billion lawsuit from the president over an edited 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris in the stretch run of the presidential campaign — having referenced Trump's attacks on the media and the nation's sacred institutions. The longtime 60 Minutes correspondent did not mention the president by name. 'But in this moment, this moment, this morning, our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack,' he declared. 'Freedom of speech is under attack. And insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes, and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak in America.' Noting that 'ignorance works for power,' Pelley also pointed out that they first 'make the truth-seekers live in fear' when they 'sue the journalists and their companies for nothing,' an apparent reference to the president's lawsuit. Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is considering a settlement of that complaint in an effort to coax the Trump administration to approve a mega-merger with Skydance Media. The possibility of settling a lawsuit that legal experts describe as frivolous has resulted in the abrupt resignations of 60 Minutes' executive producer and CBS News' chief, along with Democratic senators suggesting that the company could be breaking anti-bribery laws. Pelley also took aim at the administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 'With that done, power can rewrite history with grotesque, false narratives,' he stated. 'They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. Diversity is now described as illegal. Equity is to be shunned. Inclusion is a dirty word.' Faulkner wasn't done with her hyperbolic and breathless indignation over Pelley's speech. During the midday roundtable show Outnumbered, which she co-anchors, she seemingly accused CBS News of antisemitism while suggesting the White House could soon turn its attention to shutting down the network. 'We know what is happening. They are losing their relevancy and soon will be losing their funding,' she said, perhaps confusing CBS with PBS, which Trump directed to be defunded by an executive order this month. Referencing a previous interview with former Fox News pundit Leo Terrell, who now leads the president's so-called antisemitism task force, Faulkner noted that Terrell told her 'we are not stopping with Harvard' and will be going after other institutions. 'The administration has an answer for this,' she concluded. 'And Scott Pelley – well, I don't know – maybe it won't be 60 Minutes anymore. Maybe he can just go on a speaking tour.' Former Trump press secretary turned Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany went even further during Tuesday's broadcast of top-rated panel show The Five. After the network's resident 'comedian' Greg Gutfeld jokingly brushed off Pelley's warnings by pointing out 'he wasn't arrested after that,' McEnany called for that very thing to happen. 'He should have been, because there was an overt lie,' she exclaimed. 'What do you know about journalism being under attack? What does he know about that? I mean, 60 Minutes should be reduced to zero minutes.' Grumbling that Pelley recently interviewed a Democratic attorney for a segment on Trump targeting law firms, one of several 60 Minutes reports that have drawn the president's ire, McEnany fumed that Pelley knows 'nothing about journalism' and that his commencement speech was a 'load of garbage.' Naturally, the right-wing network's primetime lineup – which includes the president's shadow chief of staff Sean Hannity – kept the outrage flowing through the evening. 'Scott's still a whiny liberal and still bitter,' Laura Ingraham growled during an eight-minute show-opening monologue about Pelley's speech. 'What he will never admit is his own role of tanking the credibility of the press he supposedly is so desperate to save. His influence has waned, the power of his old network is gone. And now he's not shy about showing the rank bias we knew he harbored all along.' Hannity, meanwhile, complained that the former CBS Evening News anchor's address was 'full of rage and anti-Trump rhetoric,' adding that Pelley is a 'biased liberal radical talk show host and here's the proof.' The evidence, according to the Fox News star, was Pelley saying that 'journalism is under attack.'
