The Free Speech Union

A religious studies teacher at Batley Grammar School was forced into hiding in 2021 after being accused of blasphemy by some local Muslims.  Five years on he is still in hiding.  His friend and local activist Paul Halloran joins David Rose on the Free Speech Union podcast.  "He can never go home," says Paul.

They discuss how a religious studies lesson approved by the school's managment triggered street protests, death threats, and institutional capitulation.  

#freespeech #blasphemylaw 

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Connie Shaw speaks with Dr Zoe Hollowood, chair of Liberal Voice for Women.

Zoe, a LibDem activist, scientist and gender critical feminist, spoke at her party's 2026 conference. She argued that women's sex based rights should continue to be recognised under the Equality Act. The conference rejected her plea.

According to Zoe, most LibDem members and voters agree with her but much of the party's top level leadership has been captured by leading trans activists, some of whom were influential figures in Stonewall.

Zoe shares her expereince of fighting back against censorship and discrimination in her own party.

#freespeech #transgender

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In October 2026, the Free Speech Union passed two major milestones: membership exceeded 50,000, while the number of cases it had handled since Lord Young founded the organisation in 2020 surpassed 7,000.

In this special edition of the podcast, recorded live at the 2026 Battle of Ideas festival, senior members of the FSU team take questions from the audience and discuss the organisation’s rapid growth, its approach to casework and the issue that has overtaken gender-critical speech as the dominant theme in its caseload.

Host: Connie Shaw, External Affairs Officer, the Free Speech Union

Panel: Dr Jan MacVarish, Director of National Engagement; David Rose, Director of Research and Policy; Dr Ben Jones, Director of Case Management.

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#freespeech #freespeechdebate

Andrew Lownie is the author of a best-selling exposé about the former Prince Andrew.

When the FSU's David Rose asks Lownie whether we have free speech about the Royal Family, his answer is blunt: “No, absolutely not.”

In this wide-ranging conversation, Lownie explains how access, patronage, legal threats and secrecy shape public discussion of the monarchy — and why he believes his determination to expose the truth made him a target of state surveillance.

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JOIN THE FSU FOR A LIVE RECORDING of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/ (FSU members can get 20% off by clicking on the link in the members' email from 22 September 2026.)

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#freespeech #princeandrew #epsteinfiles

Is Britain sleepwalking into a new censorship regime?

In this episode, Lord Young talks to Free Speech Union policy and research director David Rose about his new briefing paper, Misinformation about Misinformation, and the weak evidence being used to justify ever-tighter controls over what people can say and see online.

David argues that claims about the threat of “misinformation” are being exaggerated to legitimise a far-reaching apparatus of monitoring, regulation and suppression — one that could privilege state-approved narratives while pushing dissenting or independent voices out of view.

Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join

FOR MORE INFORMATION, read David Rose's briefing "Misinformation about Misinformation": https://freespeechunion.org/publications/misinformation-about-misinformation

JOIN US FOR A LIVE RECORDING of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/

(FSU members can get 20% off by clicking on the link in the members' email from 22 September 2026.)

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#freespeech #censorshipdebate #internetfreedom