Founded in March 2020, the Free Speech Union now has over 40,000 members and has helped thousands of them when their right to free expression has been infringed. Whether in the workplace, at university, in the pub or online, attempts to silence people for their opinions have reached astounding levels. The FSU is at the forefront of the fight to restore this fundamental right to its proper place at the heart of democracy. Dr Macvarish will offer insights into the varied work of the FSU: case work, legal defence, parliamentary interventions, campaigning and educational outreach and explain why free speech matters so much.
Dr Jan Macvarish is Education and Events Director of the Free Speech Union. She has been a long-standing advocate for free speech, organising conferences and campaigns in its defence for over 30 years. Before joining the staff of the Free Speech Union in 2020, she worked as an academic sociologist, studying parenting, family life, intimacy and reproductive health. She is the author of Neuroparenting: the expert invasion of family life and co-author of Parenting Culture Studies with colleagues at the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies at the University of Kent.
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