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Articles on Free speech

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Students at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., participate in protests against the appearance at the school of Faith Goldy, a white nationalist, in March 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon

Protecting free speech on campus: A solution in search of a problem

The Ford government in Ontario is taking aim at free speech on the province’s campuses. But is it addressing a problem that doesn’t exist?
A crowd gathers around speakers during a rally for free speech near the University of California, Berkeley campus. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

How free should speech on campus be?

On the one-year anniversary of the tragedy in Charlottesville, we asked the presidents of Bowdoin, Elon and the University of Washington whether free speech should be treated differently on campus.
Faith Goldy, an alt-right champion who appeared in an interview on a white nationalist site, speaks outside Wilfrid Laurier Univesity in March 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon

How not to defend free speech

Free speech may protect offensive speech, but we degrade this central right when we see it as simply the right to offend, regardless of the impact on others.
Jordan Peterson speaks to a crowd during a stop in Sherwood Park, Alta., in February 2018. Peterson is suing an Ontario university and three of its staff for defamation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Hey Jordan Peterson, suing just makes you look like a hypocrite

Jordan Peterson’s lawsuit against Laurier is hardly the action of a free speech advocate. Here’s how he resembles Cleon of ancient Greece.
‘Free speech zones’ and other efforts to limit free speech on campus are igniting controversies across the nation. Chad Zuber/www.shutterstock.com

Four campus free speech problems solved

Though free speech on campus is often a divisive issue, solutions are not hard to find, a First Amendment scholar argues.
The justices have previously ruled that the government cannot compel people to speak its message or associate with ideas they do not hold. www.shutterstock.com

Supreme Court to rule on your First Amendment right to silence

Most people know that the First Amendment protects free speech. But two upcoming Supreme Court cases reveal how it also gives people in the US the right not to speak.
Cartoonist Godfrey Mwampembwa was fired from a leading Kenyan daily newspaper for his political views. Andi Weiland/Flickr

How artistic expression is being stifled in East Africa

New forms of artistic expression are driving debates in East Africa that challenge sensitive subjects. But the backlash has been vicious.
The free speech wars rage on but there is an essential difference between free speech and hate speech. Words shape the way we think about the world. (Jason Rosewell/Unsplash)

Anarchist professor takes on hate speech

Most Canadians are more than happy to support free speech, believing it to be the foundation of democracy. But for speech to be free it must be aligned to freedom itself.
Students from South Plantation High School, carrying placards, protest in support of gun control. Carlos Garcia/Reuters

What the National School Walkout says about schools and free speech

When students walked out of school to protest what they see as lax gun laws, some risked punishment from their schools. But it may be worth it to send a message, a First Amendment scholar argues.

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