Media

"Dubul' ibhunu" or "Kill the boer" - free speech or hate speech? - 1

The sight of nearly 100,000 supporters and officials at the EFF's 10th anniversary singing "Kill the boer" and led by Julius Malema was very sobering. His actions and the theatrical staging of the event invoke images of Hitler's Nuremberg rally in 1933, immortalised by film director Leni Riefenstahl. Malema clearly intended the world to see it. Should the song be allowed to be an exercise in free speech, however, distasteful its subject? Or should it be hate speech and therefore subject to legal action? Three articles which were recently published in The Daily Friend exam the issue. The first is by journalist and columnist for the Daily Friend, Ivo Vegter.

The long, sinister shadow of Robin DiAngelo in South Africa's schools

Richard Wilkinson writes in his second article about Critical Race Theory and the bizarre influence and extraordinary earning power of Robin DiAngelo. She wrote a truly awful book called "White Fragility" and has become the cheerleader for instilling guilt and shame in whites in relation to their relationship with minority groups. As Richard explains her malign influence has taken root here and the influence it has had on most of SA's private schools.

New research reveals who really benefits from free speech

Jonathan Ayling, CE of our sister union in New Zealand, writes about research to be released in August 2023 which refutes the allegation that free speech advocates are defending a right which embeds existing structural privilege. Not so.

The revolutionary power of heresy

Brendon O'Neill, Chief Political Writer of sp¡ked has written a new book called "A Heretic's Manifesto: Essays on the Unsayable". We provide a link to his chapter on "The Revolutionary Power of Heresy" where he says 'Freedom of speech has toppled tyrants and propelled humanity forward. We lose it at our peril'.

Hate Speech Bill - Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services

We have made a submission to parliament to oppose the criminalisation of the Hate Speech Bill. We deal with the extensive definition of hate speech and the large number of grounds on which hate may be based; the unconstitutionality of the provisions; the expanded concept of harm; selective prosecution; and exemptions. The essence is that the criminalisation of hate speech threatens to impinging on the foundational importance of right of free speech, thought and belief.

Webinar - should we be criminalising hate speech?

Criminalising hate speech is an issue with with far reaching consequences for every South African. Speaking to the topic are Advocate Mark Oppenheimer, Professor Anton Harber and Cynthia Stimpel who discuss the topic with reference to the Constitution and the Hate Speech Bill, the potential effect of the Bill on the media, and impact it may have on whistleblowers respectively.

Free speech is the best weapon against hate speech

The Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill would criminalise racist speech. Almost every supporter of the bill see legislation as a means to “eliminate racism”. The problem is that trying to eliminate racism is like trying to pin down mercury. Racism is an expression of people’s thoughts and feelings, upbringing and experience, interactions and education — these all change over time. Often racism ebbs and flows depending on people’s personal experiences of the political forces in society. Criminalisation isn't the answer.

Be careful when censoring speech

‘To tamper with the author’s words because of the sensibilities of present-day readers is unacceptable.  The minute you do this Huckleberry Finn stops being the book that Twain wrote' - Peter Messent of the University of Nottingham. The same applies to any modern day author whose words are tampered with by sensitivity readers.