Did you know that in the 1860s Missouri, the term #snowflake was used by abolitionists to refer to those who opposed the abolition of slavery?

The term referred to those valuing white over black people: 'Snowflakes' hoped slavery would survive the civil war.

#BlackLivesMatter

The Snowflakes were contrasted with he 'Claybanks' (based on the color of the local clay) who wanted a gradual transition out of slavery for slaves, & the 'Charcoals'/'Brown Radicals', who wanted immediate emancipation for black people.

#BlackLivesMatter https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-less-lovely-side-of-snowflake

And did you know that #woke became a byword for social awareness in 2008, with Erykah Badu’s song “Master Teacher”?

'Stay woke' became used in parts of the black community for those who were self-aware, who questioned the dominant paradigm, & who strived for something better.

#Woke was popularised in 2014, following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, when it became entwined with #BlackLivesMatter movement; instead of just suggesting awareness of injustice or racial tension, it became a word signalling action. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/woke-meaning-origin

Free speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions & ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction.

The term "freedom of expression" is often used synonymously.

Freedom of expression includes any act of seeking, receiving, & imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.

Freedom of expression is recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). However...

Article 19 states the exercise of these rights carry "special duties & responsibilities" & may "be subject to certain restrictions" eg "respect of the rights or reputation of others" or "the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals".

Free speech is NOT absolute: limitations relate to libel, slander, obscenity, pornography, sedition, incitement, fighting words, classified info, copyright, trade secrets, food labeling, NDAs, the right to privacy & dignity, the right to be forgotten, public security, & perjury.

It's my contention that - contrary to what many on the Right keep misleadingly claiming about both younger people & especially people on the Left - absolutely NOBODY is "anti-free speech".

Free speech has ALWAYS existed on a continuum, & always will.

Challenging the “free speech” of pathological liars, racists, paedophiles, anti-Semites, neo-Nazis, homophobes, transphobes, Islamophobes, people who glorify terrorism & those who deliberately spread dangerously misleading disinformation, is always the correct thing to do.

Another constant refrain from those on the Right determined to fuel a divisive 'culture war' concerns "cancel culture" & "no-platforming".

'No platforming' in particular actually has a noble history, & CAN BE an ethical, legitimate, appropriate & very effective tool.

Brave & heroic individuals “no-platformed” Oswald Mosley in the 1930s, the National Front in the 1970s, the BNP in the 1980s & 1990s & Islamic extremists in the noughties.

Allow me to briefly discuss the case of Oswald Mosley, Leader of the British Union of Fascists.

While Mosley's anti-Semitic & racist politics found some success in some pockets of London, they failed spectacularly in trying to establish a foothold among the vast majority of northern working class voters.

In 1937, his followers were growing & he decided to visit parts of the country where he didn't have as much support, with the aim of converting the working classes to a new, fascist ideology.

Of course people tried to 'no platform' him, but the authorities allowed him to tour.

On October 10, Mosley arrived in the Liverpool. His plan was to stand on top of a loud speaker van & tour the city.

He got up on the van, gave the crowd a fascist salute but before he could even speak a single word, stones were thrown from the crowd & hit Mosley in the head.

In the 1930s, Mosley’s fascists were also attacked by workers, anti-fascists, socialists & communists in Devon, Manchester, Newcastle, London and Stockton.

I do not support violence, but imho, there are times when 'no-platforming' IS entirely appropriate.

#NeverAgain

"Cancel Culture" is not new either: boycotts & call-outs leading to job losses have forced positive social change across the world. Think of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, & few would think neo-Nazi groups being subject to “cancel culture” has been bad for Britain.

Finally, a brief word about 'Identity Politics': the suffragette, the abolitionist, civil & gay rights movements were ALL primarily 'identity politics' - as is challenging the exploitation of the working class by the powerful.

We need nuance, not reductionism & absolutism.