Sarah Harte: Limiting freedom of speech is a threat to a functioning democracy
Mo Chara of Kneecap performing at the West Holts stage at Glastonbury. He was charged last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November 2024. He has firmly denied the charge but is currently on bail. Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images
The poet and public intellectual Thomas McCarthy told me this week that he thought the Western World was depressed.Â
One depressing and alarming development is the erosion of freedom of speech. Censorship is proliferating in front of our eyes, and it’s reached our shores with real-life consequences for our adult children.
