Friday, 10 October 2025
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** With hopes of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, freedom of expression must be repaired
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At the weekend, British singer Robbie Williams announced the cancellation of his concert in Istanbul. The decision was made by city authorities who deemed it “unsafe” for him to perform. Williams, who is married to a Turkish-born Jewish woman and raising his children Jewish had in the days before been targeted by Turkish social media accounts and NGOs who called for the event to be scrapped. Also at the weekend, hundreds were arrested in London for protesting the banning of Palestine Action, and the same on Tuesday for a man holding up The New World ([link removed]) , a magazine which had a montage on its front cover referring to the proscribed group.
The world just marked two years since 7 October. Some commemorated the victims of that day. Others remembered those who have been killed since. Many mourned both. A ceasefire is now agreed and let’s hope it’s lasting. In addition to the devastating destruction and loss of life, as the above examples show, free speech has deteriorated rapidly.
It happened from day one. Journalists and activists were killed in Israel. The war then quickly became the deadliest for media workers since records began. Hundreds of Palestinian journalists have now been killed. International journalists have been barred throughout. This has resulted in huge blind spots, a constant tussle over the narrative and Hamas’ retribution against dissenters circulating only in fragments online.
It’s hard to argue that the Palestinian cause has been silenced overall. This is likely the most talked-about conflict of our time. It has dominated global headlines. Protests are held regularly in town centres. Palestine badges adorn the outfits of many and flags drape from windows. But that doesn’t mean all pro-Palestine speech has been protected. Across the world, campus protests have been shut down. Students have been disappeared in the USA. Writers have lost awards, others their jobs. Just this week, someone told us they were denied entry to the BBC’s Graham Norton Show simply for wearing a watermelon broach.
Too often criticism of Israel has been wrongly equated with antisemitism. That conflation not only damages free speech but obscures real antisemitism, allowing genuine bigotry to slip by, like that of an NHS doctor whose hatred for Jews ([link removed]) was barely veiled.
This isn't just about the silencing of Palestinian solidarity. Israeli voices have been shut down too. Singers and artists have seen shows cancelled for either not saying the right thing or not saying anything at all. Jewish writers have approached me to say they feel pushed out of the publishing world, with calls to boycott them apparently trending on BookTok. Venues in Edinburgh removed two Jewish comedians from the Fringe bill. I know of someone bullied out of their workplace for platforming Israeli voices. As with pro-Palestinian voices, the list of those cancelled is long, two years on.
It's become a grotesque carnival, voices silenced from every direction. Such toxicity has limited the space for dialogue and squeezed out many in the moderate middle. Now the extremes typically dominate: apologists for Hamas on the one side, defenders of Netanyahu on the other.
It can feel trivial to complain about speech when children are dying. But it’s not. Free speech underpins every human right. Without it injustice multiplies in silence. The retreat from the principle has been a woeful chapter in this horrendous story.
Jemimah Steinfeld
CEO, Index on Censorship
** More from Index
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From the USA to Afghanistan: The week in free expression ([link removed])
A round-up of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days ([link removed])
Riyadh Comedy Festival: Making the jokes the real comedians can’t ([link removed])
Index presents the gags you won't have heard in the last two weeks ([link removed])
Intimidating behaviour towards bookshop owners on the rise ([link removed])
UK independent booksellers face increasing levels of threats and harassment ([link removed])
Banned Books Week: The author writing to stop history repeating itself ([link removed])
Rachel Seiffert confronts her family's Nazi past to prevent the world making the same mistakes ([link removed])
Index joins call for robust protections against transnational repression ([link removed])
Roshaan Khattak was targeted after researching enforced disappearances in Balochistan ([link removed])
Free speech tested at party conferences ([link removed])
Political parties in the UK must allow critical voices in ([link removed])
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** Freedom of Expression Awards 2025: shortlist announcement
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Next week, Index on Censorship will announce the shortlist nominees for its Freedom of Expression Awards 2025.
The Awards celebrate those who have had significant impact fighting censorship anywhere in the world.
LEARN MORE ([link removed])
** From the USA to Afghanistan: The week in free expression ([link removed])
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** >> USA: ([link removed]) Letitia James indicted for fraud after Trump demanded case against her ([link removed])
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** >> AFGHANISTAN: ([link removed]) Social media content restricted ([link removed])
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** >> MYANMAR: ([link removed]) At least 24 killed as army bombs peaceful protest ([link removed])
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** >> USA: ([link removed]) Trump says Illinois governor and Chicago mayor should be jailed ([link removed])
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** >> AUSTRALIA: ([link removed]) High court dismisses whistleblower David McBride’s application ([link removed])
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** >> MADAGASCAR: ([link removed]) President asks for one year to resolve problems ([link removed])
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** >> SAUDI ARABIA: ([link removed]) HRW refuses donations from comedy festival performers ([link removed])
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** >> KENYA: ([link removed]) Activists abducted after joining opposition rally in Uganda ([link removed])
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** Flashback
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We’re not banned, but... ([link removed])
by Simon James Green ([link removed])
Volume 53, Issue 2 ([link removed])
This week, Index relaunched Banned Books Week UK ([link removed]) - a time to celebrate the books that have been challenged, removed or silenced, and to stand with the people who write, sell and share them.
One writer who has faced such challenges is Simon James Green. Green received threats online (including death treats) for his books which centre on LGBTQ+ themes. In 2022, he was disinvited from speaking at a secondary school. Read the story here. ([link removed])
** Support our work
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The world is becoming more authoritarian and our work calling out human rights abuses and promoting freedom of expression in countries such as the UK, USA, and Saudi Arabia has never been more important.
By supporting Index on Censorship today, you can help us in our work with censored artists, jailed musicians, journalists under threat and dissidents facing torture or worse.
Please donate today ([link removed])
Photos by: (Gaza, October 2025) AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi; ( Simon James Green) courtesy of Simon James Green
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