The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned the United Kingdom’s recent decision to outlaw activist group Palestine Action, calling it a “disturbing” misuse of counter-terrorism law. The ban, enacted under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, took effect earlier this month after group members caused £7 million in damages by vandalizing aircraft at an air force base in southern England.
A North Carolina teen received a $20,000 settlement and formal apology this week after being suspended for using the term “illegal alien” during an English class vocabulary discussion in April 2024.
A North Carolina school board is awaiting judicial approval of a legal settlement after it was accused of fabricating a racial incident, violating a student’s free speech rights, and punishing him for a classroom question. The Davidson County School Board has agreed to terms that include a public apology, record-clearing, and a $20,000 payout to the student’s family.
The U.S. State Department has dispatched senior officials to France and Ireland to address escalating concerns over free speech restrictions in Europe.
The Trump administration has dispatched a team of U.S. State Department diplomats to the United Kingdom to investigate mounting concerns over the erosion of free speech rights. A team from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) visited Britain in March, meeting with pro-life activists arrested for silently praying outside abortion clinics, as well as UK officials and members of Ofcom, the country’s broadcasting regulator now tasked with enforcing internet censorship under the controversial Online Safety Act.
Support for online censorship in the United States is declining as a majority of Americans now favor protecting free expression, even at the risk of false information being shared. At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the closure of a major federal office that previously led efforts to combat so-called disinformation online.
