Transatlantic Free Speech Hypocrisy?

This week, Connie and Jan discuss the extraordinary level of interest in the case of Deborah Anderson, the Free Speech Union member and American citizen who filmed a visit from a British police officer who wished to talk to her about her ‘upsetting’ Facebook posts. The video has been viewed over 6 million times on X alone. Deborah’s indignant defence of her speech rights in the face of state overreach has clearly touched a nerve.

 

They then cross the pond to discuss the suspension of US talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel for his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel claimed that the shooter was part of the MAGA tribe and that the murder was being exploited for political capital by Trump and his supporters. The decision by ABC and the Nexstar Media Group to cancel Kimmel, apparently under pressure from chief of broadcast regulator the Federal Communications Commission, provoked much debate about whether those on the right who have claimed to be free speech defenders have now become justifiers of cancel culture.

Connie and Jan discuss the nuances of, on the one hand holding people to account for what they say, and on the other, upholding the importance of free speech.

Edited by Jason Clift