Latest news with #freedomOfSpeech
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
White House outraged by shocking new DC sculpture showing Trump 'dancing' with Jeffrey Epstein
A gaudy gold sculpture showing Donald Trump dancing alongside pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has popped up in front of the US Capitol. The anonymous artwork features a television spray-painted gold topped by a bald eagle with its wings spread. The TV sits above a plaque bearing a quote attributed to the Trump White House: 'In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called "art," no matter how ugly it is.' Trump's 'dad dancing' has been parodied everywhere from TikTok to NFL touchdown celebrations, but not usually alongside his sex offender former friend. A National Parks Service permit application stated that the piece's purpose was 'to demonstrate freedom of speech and artistic expression using political imagery.' The quote accompanying the piece came from White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson in response to another, 8ft sculpture named 'Dictator Approved' that appeared in the same spot last week. The anonymous artwork features a television spray-painted gold topped by a bald eagle with its wings spread That work showed the cracked head of the Statue of Liberty crushed by a huge golden hand giving a thumbs-up. Sitting around the pillar were complimentary quotes about Trump from leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin ('a very bright and talented man') and North Korea's Kim Jong Un ('extraordinary courage'). Jackson missed the point of the artwork by adding that if the US was a dictatorship, the sculpture wouldn't be allowed. She didn't appear amused by being the butt of a new joke either. 'Wow, these liberal activists masquerading as "artists" are dumber than I thought!' she told the Washington Post. 'I've tricked them into taking down their ugly sculpture and replacing it with a beautiful video of the president's legendary dance moves that will bring joy and inspiration to all tourists traversing our National Mall. 'Maybe they will put this on their next sculpture.' Trump's relationship with Epstein was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this month during the president's spectacular falling out with Elon Musk. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files,' Musk claimed on Twitter at the time. Exactly who is responsible for the artwork is a mystery as no one has publicly claimed responsibility. The name on the permit for the piece is listed as 'Mary Harris', possibly a reference to labor leader Mary Harris 'Mother' Jones from the 1890s to 1920s. The Washingtonian spoke to a man from a group calling itself 'Statues Art Project' who explained that Trump's dancing was the 'ugliest art that we could think of'. 'Even though their comment is really snarky and passive-aggressive, I think this statement is actually kind of a beautiful thing about this country that has rights and norms and other standards of American living seem to be disappearing by the day in this administration,' the man said of Jackson's 'ugly art' line. He denied the same artists were responsible for similarly styled anonymous sculptures in DC, Philadelphia and Portland last year. Those included a bronze tiki torch and a replica of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with feces on her desk, in reference to the January 6 insurrection. The sculpture, which is protected around the clock by security guards, is expected to stay up through the weekend.
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
The Freedom Charter at 70
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Palestinian student sues Michigan school over teacher's reaction to her refusal to stand for Pledge
DETROIT — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of a 14-year-old student who said a teacher humiliated her for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in protest of U.S. support of Israel's war in Gaza. Danielle Khalaf's teacher told her, 'Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don't like it, you should go back to your country,' according to the lawsuit.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Dissent crucial in democracy, says Anwar after caricature burning
Some of the participants of an anti-corruption rally held in Kota Kinabalu last weekend. (Bersih Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim believes dissent is crucial in a democratic country and freedom of speech must be upheld, says the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Speaking during the daily press briefing, senior press secretary Tunku Nashrul Abaidah reiterated Anwar's order to the higher education ministry and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) not to take action against its students for protesting. Tunku Nashrul said the incident was a reminder of the people's hope for the government to completely eliminate corruption. 'As the prime minister himself was part of a student movement, and once led a movement for reform on the streets, he understands that criticism, no matter how much it stings, is an important part of democracy. 'The future of our youth should not be jeopardised due to differences of opinion,' he said. Earlier, higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said Anwar had urged UMS not to expel the students involved in burning a caricature of the prime minister during an anti-corruption rally in Kota Kinabalu last Saturday. The Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 protest saw more than 100 people call for action to be taken over the Sabah water department scandal. Organised by several UMS students, the rally ended with the burning of a caricature of Anwar. Police are investigating the burning of the caricature under the Sedition Act 1948 and Penal Code.
Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Ban lifted on magazine said to be a ‘mouthpiece for right-wing extremists'
The German government's ban on a far-right magazine described as the 'central mouthpiece' of extremists has been overturned. Founded in 2010 and edited by Jürgen Elsässer, Compact magazine had considerable reach beyond the hard-right bubble. It claimed a print circulation of 40,000 a month and millions of views online. The magazine was officially classified as an 'extremist organisation' by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, in 2021. Among the conspiracy theories that it promotes is the concept of 're-migration', a dog whistle for deporting ethnic-minority Germans. Nancy Faeser took the step to ban the magazine last year when she was interior minister . She labelled Compact a 'central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene' — citing its antisemitic, racist and anti-democratic content. A federal administrative court in Leipzig then suspended Faeser's ban, pending a final ruling on Compact's appeal, which was issued on Tuesday, declaring that even inflammatory speech remains protected under the country's laws. The presiding judge, Ingo Kraft, concluded that Compact's output, while polemic and sharply worded, did not cross the threshold into active hostility against the democratic order. 'The basic law guarantees freedom of opinion and the press even for enemies of freedom,' Kraft said. Germany's basic law provides MPs with the means to crack down on parties and speech like Holocaust denial that are deemed unconstitutional — a learning from its fascist past. However, there are no provisions allowing the ban of publications. The interior ministry had resorted to banning the organisation that publishes Compact. The court said, however, that this violated the proportionality requirements as subversive activities were not central to its mission. Even sharp critiques of migration policy and revisionist takes on history must be tolerated in a pluralistic democracy, the court argued. The ruling comes as a blow to proponents of a crackdown on extremism, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to become Germany's second-largest party. In 2021, Germany's government had tightened laws punishing abuse against politicians. In one such case a journalist at a far-right magazine was convicted for sharing a manipulated image of Faeser showing her holding a fake sign with the words 'I hate freedom of opinion'. • What is AfD? The reasons behind rise of the hard right in Germany Elsässer celebrated the Compact ruling, and predicted that, if Compact could not be banned, then it would be impossible to ban the AfD. The Social Democrats, the junior partner in Germany's coalition government, announced on Monday that they would push to start proceedings on banning the AfD, which was also recently labelled 'extremist' by the Verfassungsschutz. Alexander Dobrindt, the current interior minister, said the government would respect and review the ruling, but added that 'banning organisations remains an applicable and possible tool against extremist endeavours'.
