Greg, Flemming Rose to Speak at Danish Parliament on ‘The Challenges of Freedom of Speech in the 21st Century’

FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff will team up with Danish author and journalist Flemming Rose for a seminar on “The Challenges of Freedom of Speech in the 21st Century,” next Tuesday, August 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Folketinget, the Danish Parliament.

Rose is the former culture editor of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which ignited a global discussion about free speech in 2005 when the paper published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Rose subsequently authored the acclaimed book

The Tyranny of Silence: How One Cartoon Ignited a Global Debate on the Future of Free Speech, which was chosen by The Economist as one of 2014’s Books of the Year.

The event is hosted by Justitia, Denmark’s first independent judicial think tank, dedicated to preserving individual freedoms in Denmark and internationally.

The seminar will focus on recent challenges to freedom of speech in Europe and the United States and how to “reinvigorate respect for freedom of expression” moving forward. Event host Justitia writes:

On both sides of the pond, recent years have seen significant political, cultural, and legal changes to how freedom of expression is regarded by the public and policy-makers. In the United States, campus speech codes, tolerance training, and political correctness have issued in a new era of language policing. In Europe, stricter hate speech laws, the insidious phenomenon of self-censorship, and state abatement of media freedom have created an environment that is an anathema to free speech. We are fortunate to have our esteemed guests, with their unique backgrounds and expertise, analyze these contemporary challenges to free speech and provide their perspectives on and insight into these topics.

Er ytringsfriheden udfordret i det 21. århundrede? Debat med @glukianoff d. 23/8. https://t.co/6JRi4eEwe9 #dkpol pic.twitter.com/Pnfqs7ILIE

— Justitia (@justitiaorg) July 13, 2016

While the event is billed as free and open to the public, the event required pre-registration and is now sold out. If you’re among FIRE’s Danish fanbase, or happen to be in Copenhagen next Tuesday and hope to score a spot, be sure to check the event's webpage frequently for possible openings.