FIRE has a bone to pick with Tennessee town, Vance on free speech in Europe, 'Gulf o’ ‘Merica' or else AP!, more bad AI bills, & more!

Bringing you the latest free speech news (2/16/25)

Stories of the week

• FIRE statement on White House denying AP Oval Office access

President Trump has the authority to change how the U.S. government refers to the Gulf. But he cannot punish a news organization for using another term. The role of our free press is to hold those in power accountable, not to act as their mouthpiece. Any government efforts to erode this fundamental freedom deserve condemnation.

• Read: JD Vance’s full speech on the fall of Europe

“I look to Brussels, where EU Commission commissars warned citizens that they intend to shut down social media during times of civil unrest: the moment they spot what they’ve judged to be ‘hateful content’. Or to this very country where police have carried out raids against citizens suspected of posting anti-feminist comments online as part of ‘combating misogyny’ on the internet.

I look to Sweden, where two weeks ago, the government convicted a Christian activist for participating in Quran burnings that resulted in his friend’s murder. And as the judge in his case chillingly noted, Sweden’s laws to supposedly protect free expression do not, in fact, grant – and I’m quoting – a ‘free pass’ to do or say anything without risking offending the group that holds that belief.

And perhaps most concerningly, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons in particular in the crosshairs. A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith Conner, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 metres from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own…

Now, I wish I could say that this was a fluke, a one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person. But no. This last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called safe access zones, warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law. Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thought crime in Britain and across Europe.”

• LAWSUIT: Tennessee town cites woman for using skeletons in holiday decorations

Today, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed a federal lawsuit seeking to strike down on First Amendment grounds the Memphis suburb’s ordinance dictating to residents how and when they’re allowed to display holiday decorations. On Thursday, FIRE will also defend Alexis Luttrell before a municipal court, after the Germantown resident was cited for celebrating Christmas with decorative skeletons.

This week in FIRE’s blog

• White House barring AP from press events violates the First Amendment by Aaron Terr

• FIRE opposes Virginia’s proposed regulation of candidate deepfakes by John Coleman

• Love, loyalty, and liberty: ASU alumni unite to defend free speech by Bobby Ramkissoon

• Wave of state-level AI bills raise First Amendment problems by John Coleman

• After FIRE lawsuit, California community colleges will not enforce DEI mandate in classroom

• At the Institute of American Indian Arts, criticism of school officials is ‘bullying’ by Jessie Appleby

This week in ERI

• The Unholy Alliance: How college administrators and students unite to silence speakers by Sean Stevens and me

FIRE in the press!

• When the Marketplace of Ideas Goes Broke (FEE) by David Volodzko

We must set legal boundaries, and within those boundaries, allow the kids to play. There will be bruises. There will be bullies. But we want our kids to learn resilience by handling their own problems—because if you coddle them, you will protect them from harm here and now, but create a brittle constitution that’s ultimately more susceptible to damage.

• Trump’s Free Speech Shell Game: Bold Promises, Troubling Actions (The Bedrock Principle) by Jacob Mchangama

So far, the warning signs outweigh the positives. If Trump uses his office to silence critics while selectively championing free speech for his allies, his promises to "bring back free speech" will ring hollow. Instead of upholding the First Amendment, his administration risks turning it into a weapon—one that punishes dissent and protects only those who toe the line.

International free speech stories of the week

• YouTube removes Ranveer Allahbadia's obscene jokes video after Centre's notice (India Today) by Karishma Saurabh Kalita

• Mandatory jail for Nazi salutes under new Australia laws (BBC) by Koh Ewe

Hate symbols and terror offences will be punishable with mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years in Australia, after parliament passed a series of amendments to hate crime laws on Thursday.

• MI5 lied to courts to protect violent neo-Nazi spy (BBC) by Daniel De Simone

Pitch of the month

Recently, someone on X asked if FIRE would consider issuing membership cards.

As I pointed out, we already do!

For a minimum donation of $25, you can become a card-carrying FIRE member today. And if being able to boast your support for the country’s premier free speech organization isn’t incentive enough, membership also gets you special insider perks like invitations to events & conferences in your area as well as our FIRE Quarterly magazine.

The kind of people who join FIRE believe in free speech for all — not just for people that agree with them. If you’re one of those people, we need to work together to save free speech for our kids and grandkids!

And you’ll be the envy of Patrick Batemans everywhere!