Latest news with #hateSpeech
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Canadian cities cancel US Christian nationalist's performances
Eight Canadian cities have revoked performance permits for Sean Feucht, a Trump-supporting Christian nationalist preacher and musician, who led anti-gay demonstrations outside Disneyland and protested against mask mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past two weeks, performances by Feucht, have been cancelled in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Moncton, New Brunswick; Quebec City, Quebec; Vaughan, Ontario; and Abbotsford, British Columbia. Local authorities cited safety concerns or code of conduct violations as reasons for cancelling his appearances. The municipal government in Winnipeg, Manitoba, denied Feucht a permit to perform due to 'operational challenges'. Feucht has publicly opposed homosexuality and complained that kindergarten students were being taught 'transgenderism' and made to feel 'bad because they were born white'. Feucht has also advocated in interviews for a country where there is 'no law outside of the biblical moral law'. His attempt to tour Canada has prompted a fierce debate over whether local authorities in the country should allow far-right figures to perform – and warnings that efforts to ban such speech could instead enhance his profile. '[Feucht's performance] is putting the public at risk, their safety at risk,' said Candace Banks, the vice-president of Kelowna Pride, a non-profit that supports the LGBTQ+ community in Kelowna, British Columbia. 'He spews hate speech. There's a fine line between freedom of speech and hate speech,' they said. A church in Montreal was fined $2,500 for allowing Feucht last month to perform despite city authorities' refusal to grant a permit because of the California musician's views. 'Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not accepted in Montreal and, as in other Canadian cities, the show will not be tolerated,' a spokesperson for the Montreal mayor's office told CBC. Municipal governments in Kelowna and Edmonton, Alberta, are still mulling over whether to allow Feucht to go ahead with his scheduled tour stops later this month, after an outcry from residents in many cities and LGBTQ+ rights groups. The city of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan confirmed on 30 July that it had approved Feucht's permit for a show scheduled for 21 August. City officials told the broadcaster that there were no public safety concerns emerging that would require the event's cancellation, but they would monitor the situation. The city's mayor, Cynthia Block, said that she had received many complaints about Feucht and was in contact with local police. 'They are doing their due diligence to make sure that they are following all of the correct legislation to protect freedom of speech, but understanding foundationally that this is a safety issue. It is a physical safety issue, and I am personally worried,' she told CBC. Banks said Feucht had 'crossed the line' and should not be permitted to play in public spaces. A spokesperson for Feucht said he would not be able to respond to a request for comment, but referred to his public social media posts after his permit to perform in Winnipeg was revoked. 'This going to backfire spectacularly,' he wrote. After the Walt Disney Company opposed Florida's so-called 'don't say gay' bill in 2022, Feucht led protests outside the company's California headquarters. James Turk, the director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms has clear protections for free speech and that barring Feucht could inadvertently amplify his message. 'The attempt to censor him is actually giving him a platform,' said Turk.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Canadian cities cancel US Christian nationalist's performances
Eight Canadian cities have revoked performance permits for Sean Feucht, a Trump-supporting Christian nationalist preacher and musician, who led anti-gay demonstrations outside Disneyland and protested against mask mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past two weeks, performances by Feucht, have been cancelled in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Moncton, New Brunswick; Quebec City, Quebec; Vaughan, Ontario; and Abbotsford, British Columbia. Local authorities cited safety concerns or code of conduct violations as reasons for cancelling his appearances. The municipal government in Winnipeg, Manitoba, denied Feucht a permit to perform due to 'operational challenges'. Feucht has publicly opposed homosexuality and complained that kindergarten students were being taught 'transgenderism' and made to feel 'bad because they were born white'. Feucht has also advocated in interviews for a country where there is 'no law outside of the biblical moral law'. His attempt to tour Canada has prompted a fierce debate over whether local authorities in the country should allow far-right figures to perform – and warnings that efforts to ban such speech could instead enhance his profile. '[Feucht's performance] is putting the public at risk, their safety at risk,' said Candace Banks, the vice-president of Kelowna Pride, a non-profit that supports the LGBTQ+ community in Kelowna, British Columbia. 'He spews hate speech. There's a fine line between freedom of speech and hate speech,' they said. A church in Montreal was fined $2,500 for allowing Feucht last month to perform despite city authorities' refusal to grant a permit because of the California musician's views. 'Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not accepted in Montreal and, as in other Canadian cities, the show will not be tolerated,' a spokesperson for the Montreal mayor's office told CBC. Municipal governments in Kelowna and Edmonton, Alberta, are still mulling over whether to allow Feucht to go ahead with his scheduled tour stops later this month, after an outcry from residents in many cities and LGBTQ+ rights groups. The city of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan confirmed on 30 July that it had approved Feucht's permit for a show scheduled for 21 August. City officials told the broadcaster that there were no public safety concerns emerging that would require the event's cancellation, but they would monitor the situation. The city's mayor, Cynthia Block, said that she had received many complaints about Feucht and was in contact with local police. 'They are doing their due diligence to make sure that they are following all of the correct legislation to protect freedom of speech, but understanding foundationally that this is a safety issue. It is a physical safety issue, and I am personally worried,' she told CBC. Banks said Feucht had 'crossed the line' and should not be permitted to play in public spaces. A spokesperson for Feucht said he would not be able to respond to a request for comment, but referred to his public social media posts after his permit to perform in Winnipeg was revoked. 'This going to backfire spectacularly,' he wrote. After the Walt Disney Company opposed Florida's so-called 'don't say gay' bill in 2022, Feucht led protests outside the company's California headquarters. James Turk, the director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms has clear protections for free speech and that barring Feucht could inadvertently amplify his message. 'The attempt to censor him is actually giving him a platform,' said Turk.
News24
6 days ago
- Politics
- News24
SAHRC probes podcasters for calling coloured people ‘incestuous' and ‘crazy'
Screenshot The SA Human Rights Commission is investigating numerous complaints about derogatory remarks made on the Open Chats Podcast. The podcast sparked public outrage when coloured people were labelled 'incestuous' and 'crazy'. Commission chairperson Chris Nissen said the remarks were vile, appalling, and unacceptable. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says it has been inundated with complaints about comments in an episode that described coloured people as 'incestuous', 'crazy' people who 'sleep with their siblings'. The episode of the Open Chats Podcast, hosted by Mthokozisi, Sonwabile, Lefa Hlalele, and Busisiwe Radebe, sparked outrage when a video clip was widely circulated on social media. The clip has since been deleted. Following intense public pressure, the hosts — via their legal representatives — issued an open letter of apology. It read: 'The said statements have caused much outrage and offence, not only in the coloured community of South Africa but to all South Africans, irrespective of race, colour or creed. 'Our clients hereby deeply apologise for the pain and hurt that they have caused to the coloured community of South Africa. Our clients acknowledge unreservedly that the utterances made were inappropriate, sexist, racist, unfortunate, irresponsible, reckless, reminiscent of apartheid and unAfrican (contrary to the spirit of ubuntu), which were also tantamount to hate speech.' READ | 'Degrading': Podcasters under fire for calling coloured people incestuous, 'crazy' SAHRC chairperson Chris Nissen confirmed that the commission was investigating multiple complaints. 'We have received a number of complaints, and we will be conducting our own investigation as the commission because this is absolute rubbish that coloured people are being labelled in such a vile and appalling way,' he said. Open Chats Podcast aired on Mzansi Wethu, DStv channel 163, but a MultiChoice spokesperson told News24 that 'the episode in question was not aired on our platform'. 'MultiChoice is aware of recent comments made on the Open Chats Podcast. Open Chats' contract with DStv ended on 25 July 2025 as the show was removed to make way for our August content slate,' the company said. Meanwhile, political parties have since condemned the remarks. Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie said the party instituted legal action against the hosts. He snapped: We want to make an example of them. It's racism, and we must never allow people to become this comfortable. If we have to say that about other races, it would be on every front page. The ANC added: 'These statements are not only offensive, but they run completely counter to the founding values of our democratic society: values of human dignity, non-racialism, and unity, as enshrined in our Constitution and the Freedom Charter.' Freedom Front Plus MP Grant Marais said: 'Such utterances aren't just highly insulting, they also have the potential to fuel racial tensions between the black African and coloured communities, imperilling the frail social cohesion in South Africa. 'It is, however, unacceptable that individuals on a public platform use such hurtful stereotypes to undermine the human dignity of coloured communities and promote hate.' DA federal chairperson Ivan Meyer said the party had lodged a complaint with the SAHRC. 'This is not humour. It is not harmless 'pop culture commentary'. It is an assault on the dignity of a community and an attempt to reduce the lived realities of South Africans to cheap, demeaning stereotypes for the sake of online clicks,' he said.
Al Jazeera
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Defund universities that allow anti-Semitism, says Australia envoy
Australia's anti-Semitism envoy has called for the cancellation of funding to universities that tolerate anti-Jewish sentiment and the screening of migrants for anti-Semitic views under a sweeping plan presented to the government. Jillian Segal made the recommendations in a report published on Thursday amid elevated concerns about anti-Semitism following a spate of violent incidents, including an alleged arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue last week. 'Countering antisemitism must not be the burden solely of the Jewish community; nor can we expect governments alone to fight antisemitism on Australians' behalf,' Segal, who was appointed as Australia's first special envoy on anti-Semitism last year, said in a foreword to the report. 'Community leaders, educators, businesses, media, creatives and citizens must unite. It is a responsibility shared by all Australians.' Segal's report said the envoy would work with the government and educational authorities to reverse a 'dangerous trajectory' of normalised anti-Semitism at many universities, and withhold funding to institutions that engage in anti-Semitic 'or otherwise discriminatory' speech and actions. To guard against the 'importation of hate', non-citizens involved in anti-Semitism should face deportation, the report said, with the envoy to provide education on anti-Semitism to immigration officials to assist them with screening for visa applicants with hateful views. Segal will also monitor media organisations 'to encourage accurate, fair and responsible reporting', advocate for 'best practice regulation of online content,' and work with authorities to ensure artificial intelligence does not amplify anti-Semitic content, the report said. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who leads the centre-left Labor Party, welcomed the report and said the government would 'carefully consider' its recommendations. He said some of the proposals could be implemented quickly and others 'will require work over a period of time'. 'This is something that the government needs to work with civil society on at all levels … to make sure anti-Semitism is pushed to the margins,' Albanese told a news conference. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, a peak body representing Jewish communities across the country, praised the 'well considered' plan and endorsed its recommendations. 'Its release could not be more timely given the recent appalling events in Melbourne,' ECAJ President Daniel Aghion KC said in a statement. 'The actions which the plan call for are now urgently needed.' However, the Jewish Council of Australia, a progressive group that has been critical of Israel's war in Gaza, warned that the plan risked 'undermining Australia's democratic freedoms, inflaming community divisions, and entrenching selective approaches to racism that serve political agendas'. 'This document reads more like a blueprint for silencing dissent rather than a strategy to build inclusion,' Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Max Kaiser said in a statement, criticising the report's 'vague' language and use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. 'Consistent with her past statements erroneously linking antisemitic attacks with Palestine solidarity protests, Segal seems fixated on driving a pro-Israel narrative and repressing legitimate criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza,' Kaiser added. 'Antisemitism is real and must be taken seriously. But it does not exist in a vacuum.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk's AI chatbot under fire for posts praising Hitler
Billionaire Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok came under fire Wednesday for anti-Semitic comments, praising Adolf Hitler and insulting Islam in separate posts on the X platform. One series of comments, which included insults directed at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, led a court there to ban the posts in question. These were just the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Musk's AI chatbot, which has already been accused of promoting racist conspiracy theories. The CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, resigned unexpectedly on Wednesday, but there was no known connection to the latest blowup over the Grok chatbot. Screenshots on X showed several posts made by the bot in which it praised Nazi leader Hitler, who sought to exterminate Jewish people, and claimed Jews promoted "anti-white hate." The chatbot, developed by Musk's company xAI, was criticized by Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for answering multiple user prompts with the questionable posts. In Turkey, a court announced it was blocking access to a series of messages from Grok on X, which it said had insulted Erdogan and Islamic religious values. Musk's AI start-up acknowledged the issues in a post via Grok on X. "We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts," it said. "Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X." - Friday upgrade - Musk posted Wednesday that the incident was prompted by a user who was seeking a controversial statement from Grok "and obviously got it." Grok was "too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially. That is being addressed," Musk added. Last Friday he posted to say they had made significant improvements to the Grok chatbot, ahead of the release of the company's latest AI model Grok-4, expected later on Wednesday. Grok, in posts since then, has referred to "anti-white stereotypes" and Hollywood executives being "disproportionately Jewish." The ADL criticized the latest posts by the chatbot. "What we are seeing from Grok LLM right now is irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic, plain and simple," the ADL said on X. "This supercharging of extremist rhetoric will only amplify and encourage the antisemitism that is already surging on X and many other platforms." Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL, told AFP in a recent interview that from "Amazon to X, from Alphabet to Meta, all these businesses need to be far more proactive because, as they have retreated from moderating the services... things are now far worse." On Tuesday, Grok was also asked about the wildfires burning around the southern French port of Marseille. If the fire could "clean up" one high-crime district of the city "so much the better," it said, adding "the dealers are more resilient than the flames." - 'Sarcasm' - Also Tuesday, Grok insulted Erdogan and his family in a series of Turkish-language posts, according to screenshots posted by other users. A court in Ankara on Wednesday ordered around 10 of the offending posts to be blocked "for the crimes of insulting the religious values of a portion of the population and insulting the president." In one post Wednesday, Grok suggested that some of its more controversial remarks had been tongue in cheek. "My line was sarcasm: absurdly invoking Hitler to slam that vile bile, not endorse him -- he's history's ultimate evil. Irony backfired hard," it posted. Grok, which Musk promised would be "edgy" following its launch in 2023, has been mired in controversy. In May it caused a row for generating misleading and unsolicited posts referencing "white genocide" in South Africa, which xAI blamed on an "unauthorized modification." bur-arp/st
