Nathan Seuili on "Protecting Free Speech in New Zealand"
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Rock The Vote NZ are pleased to present Nathan Seiuli from the Free Speech Union (FSU), who will speak about what FSU is, what they do, what free speech is, the proposed Hate Speech Laws, what constitutes "hate speech", and why FSU see free speech as the foundation of a thriving society.
The Free Speech Union's goal is to defend and promote the free exchange of information and to educate people of the importance of free speech in New Zealand.
The FSU says "a new form of censorship has emerged which has confounded the traditional division between the public and private spheres. There is a reccurring pattern to this censorship. It begins with a post online, often on social media but not always. This post is then taken to the employer of the person who posted it, and is used as the basis of a claim that the person responsible for the post should lose their job, usually under spurious "health and safety" grounds. These claims are often made by anonymous individuals or groups. They amplify the media surrounding the complaint, to put pressure on the employer to fire the offender.
"People have lost jobs, friends, careers and livelihoods because their publicly-expressed thoughts or opinions were used against them in this manner. Having a supportive community and access to reliable, impartial advice can make a life-changing difference for people who find themselves ostracised and potentially out of work because of nothing more than an expression of their democratic rights to speak freely.
"In order to stand up to this pernicious but non-state censorship, the Free Speech Union incorporated as a registered trade union in 2021. The Union is empowered to provide its members with advocacy support if they become a target for non-government censorship, along with producing media, campaigning against bad laws, and hosting events."
https://www.fsu.nz/
https://www.facebook.com/FreeSpeechUnion/
There will be time for Q&A after Nathan's talk.
$10 on the door (please bring cash)
Tea and coffee - gold coin donation
** Note: the guest speaker at this event and the FSU are not affiliated with and their participation is not an indication that they endorse or represent Rock The Vote NZ **