The Guardian

Those who championed free speech in the UK and US now wage war on it. And here’s why: Palestine | Mehdi Hasan

It was once an article of faith that even those who speak words we disagree with deserve protection. As regards Palestine, that’s now not true Remember the Satanic Verses controversy? Remember “ Je suis Charlie ”? Remember the constant invocations of Voltaire and Orwell ? The great irony of our age is that many of the cadre of politicians who spent years anointing themselves as champions of free speech have become its most enthusiastic enemies when the subject turns to one issue: Palestine. For decades, western governments lectured the world about liberal values. They declared freedom of expression the hallmark of a liberal democratic society. Protest was deemed patriotic while the right to offend was considered sacred. Then came Gaza. Suddenly, the principles that we were once told were non-negotiable became highly negotiable indeed. Mehdi Hasan is the editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo The assault on freedom with Mehdi Hasan and Arwa Mahdawi At 7.30pm BST on Monday 8 June, join Mehdi Hasan and Arwa Mahdawi at a joint Zeteo/Guardian event to discuss the current seismic changes in geopolitics, the alarming rise of populism and nationalism, and its global implications. Only livestream tickets are now available. Book tickets here Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...