News Round-Up: Woke Ruling by UK Press Watchdog Undermines Free Speech, Intelligence Agencies Discriminating Against White People and If Syrians Should Return To Syria

Every week, the editorial team of Freedom Research compiles a round-up of news that caught our eye, or what felt like under-reported aspects of news deserving more attention.

Over the past week, the following topics attracted our attention:

• UK press watchdog rules you cannot say “a man who claims to be a woman” referring to a man who claims to be a woman.

• European nations suspending Syrian asylum applications.

• White British students banned from applying for intelligence internships.

• Australia bans social media for under-16s: considers validating user through biometric data or digital IDs.

• A petition to IOC: keep women’s sports for women.

UK press watchdog rules you cannot say “a man who claims to be a woman” referring to a man who claims to be a woman

An article in The Spectator magazine about Nicola Sturgeon was investigated by the UK’s Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) because it described a male author who says he is a woman as “a man who claims to be a woman”, The Telegraph writes.

Juno Dawson (formerly James) complained over the reference within an online comment piece published in May by Gareth Roberts entitled: “The sad truth about ‘saint’ Nicola Sturgeon.” The article focused largely on the former Scottish first minister’s supportive stance on transgender ideology and at one point described Sturgeon as having been interviewed “by writer Juno Dawson, a man who claims to be a woman”. Dawson, who writes young adult novels, was legally declared a woman by the gender recognition panel in 2018. Dawson complained the description in the article was both inaccurate and discriminatory, and that The Spectator had deliberately misgendered her with the intention to cause offence, which IPSO upheld. They said the comment article breached clause 12 of the Editor’s Code of Practice, which deals with discrimination. IPSO has now forced The Spectator to publish the ruling on its website.

The article that was condemned by the press watchdog discussed the position of Scottish ex-first minister Nicola Sturgeon on trans ideology. Photo: screenshot.

Michael Grove, the editor of The Spectator, called the ruling outrageous. Writing in The Spectator, Gove set out a strident defence of Roberts’ article, arguing the journalist was exercising his right to free speech. “When Gareth Roberts wrote that Juno Dawson is a man who claims to be a woman, he was exercising his right to free speech and indeed expressing a view that many would consider a straightforward truth,” he wrote, adding that Dawson may have a gender recognition certificate but no piece of paper can alter biological reality. “Parliament may pass laws, but they cannot abolish Dawson’s Y chromosome,” he wrote.

European nations suspending Syrian asylum applications

Following the overthrow of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, many European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and Austria, have decided or plan to suspend processing asylum applications from Syrians.

More than 4,000 asylum applications from Syrian nationals have been registered in France this year. It is also a transit country for those trying to reach the UK, many of whom are attempting to cross the dangerous English Channel in small inflatable boats. Nearly 2,900 Syrians arrived in the UK in this way between January and September, according to the UK Home Office, Barron's reports.

Syrian migrants arriving at Skala Sykamias Lesvos Greece in 2015. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Immigration is a politically divisive issue in France, where success for nationalists in July's elections has left parliament more divided than ever. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday that France would not pressure Syrians who had been granted asylum to return home immediately. For this to happen, security must be guaranteed in Syria and the situation in Syria must allow the millions of refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Europe to return in peace if they wish.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said many Syrians wanted to return home, but warned that developments in Syria could also lead to a new wave of migration to Europe.

Germany's Migration and Refugee Agency (BAMF) has suspended all asylum applications from Syrian citizens and will not process them until political developments in the country, which is emerging from 13 years of civil war, are clearer. Germany has the largest Syrian community in Europe since the opening of its borders in 2015. Until November this year, some 72,420 Syrians have applied for asylum in Germany, of whom around 47,270 remain pending.

The Norwegian authorities have indicated that, for the time being, Syrian applications are neither accepted nor rejected.

According to a Greek government official, the country has suspended the applications of around 9,000 Syrians and is due to decide on the next steps on Friday.

Meanwhile, Syrians living in various European countries have taken to the streets to celebrate the end of Assad's regime in Syria and the victory of the Islamists. This in turn has led many to ask whether it is not time for these people to return home.

White British students banned from applying for intelligence internships

Britain’s intelligence services MI5, MI6, and GCHQ have launched a summer internship programme, but white British students are banned from applying, The Telegraph writes.

Students are offered the opportunity of a paid internship next summer with a promise that the opportunity represents the “first steps towards an exciting full-time career”.

The ad says summer interns will not “just be sitting on the sidelines – this is your opportunity to get unique access to our operations, gain experience, and make key contributions to real projects”.

British intelligence agencies do not offer internships for white British students next summer. Photo: screenshot.

The advert goes on to explain that the 10-11 week “intelligence internship” is only open to students from a “Black, Asian, mixed heritage or ethnic minority” as well as those from a “socially or economically disadvantaged” background. Any white British students from socially deprived families would not be considered for internships which could lead to a career as a spy. The advert explains that they are “confining the applications for this internship to those within this demographic due to a current underrepresentation in our workforce”. The advert states the internship is open to applications from “white other” groups such as Romany Gypsy, Scottish or Irish Travellers.

Australia bans social media for under-16s: considers validating users through biometric data or digital IDs

At the end of November, the Australian parliament passed a law banning people under 16 from using social media. This makes Australia the first country in the world to introduce such an absolute ban. To enforce the regulation, users are being considered for identification through the analysis of biometric data from webcam images or digital ID, a new procedure that invades the privacy of all users.

Australia's law comes into force in January, but as a concession, social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, Instagram and others have been given a year to work out a system, writes AP. If, in that time, the platforms fail and are not able to prevent under-16s from owning and operating an account, they will have to pay a fine of up to A$50 million (about €30 million).

At the heart of the law is the requirement that social media platforms must take ‘reasonable steps’ to identify and remove underage users from the platform. However, the law does not specify what exactly these ‘reasonable steps’ are. These are not expected to become clear until next summer when the government-commissioned report on age verification technology solutions will be completed. So far, the following verification options have been put forward as examples: a video of the user which is analysed biometrically (e.g. wrinkles on the face or hands); uploading the user's identity document to a third-party server from where the social media platform receives an anonymous confirmation of age; age inference using a method that compares the user's email address with other accounts; digital ID. However, the latest amendments to the law, as it stands now, include a provision that platforms may not force users to present an identity document (passport or driving license) or require digital identification through a government system.

In any case, the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is convinced that the platforms' priorities now include a responsibility to ensure the safety of children and that the ideal is not being sought because just as alcohol is banned for under-18s, this does not mean that young people will never get hold of it. The prime minister said the objective was the right one and that the decision was based on the physical and mental risks of excessive social media use. The Parliament said the law was not radical, but necessary, because companies should have complied with the law long ago, but have evaded responsibility for profit for too long.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese says that banning social media for under-16s is a step in the right direction to ensure the safety of children. Critics, however, point rightfully that such steps invade the privacy of all users. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Critics say the law will affect all users because everyone will have to prove their age. In their view, the government was only seeking voters' votes in time for the general election in May, having responded to parents' concerns. Critics say the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents and is likely to lead to a loss of privacy for all users, as well as reduce the right of parents to decide for their children.

Advocates for children's well-being and mental health are also concerned about unintended consequences. They fear that the ban could isolate many children who have so far sought support from social media and could therefore harm vulnerable young people the most. The ban is likely to encourage children to use a much more dangerous dark web, discourage children from reporting harm, and discourage platforms from improving safety. Children and young people themselves have said that they are trying to find ways to circumvent the law.

Social media platforms say the law cannot be enforced and, unsuccessfully, have even asked for the decision to be delayed until at least the summer when an analysis will be completed. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has said the law must be respected, but the document has been hastily drafted and does not take into account the evidence the platforms are already providing or the views of young people themselves. Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, has said of the Australian law that it appears to be a ‘backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians’.

A petition to IOC: keep women’s sports for women

Over 40,000 athletes, women, and activists signed a petition to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) demanding that women not be ‘forced to compete with men’ in future Olympic Games, reports The New York Post.

The petition, led by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), argued that ‘governments and organizational bodies like the IOC have adopted policies that allow males who identify as female to compete in women’s sports.’

The petition has more than 40,000 signatories. Photo: screenshot.

The petition, which was hand-delivered to the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland by ADF International, states that the organisation’s policies have ‘prioritize[d] feelings over fairness—ideology over truth.’

“As an organization governing athletics, the IOC must be held accountable for the many harms caused by allowing men to compete in women’s sports at the highest stage in the world, from lost medals and victories to privacy and safety violations,” the petition reads.

“The IOC’s voice matters,” the petition adds. “Others look to your leadership. Not only are the women competing in this year’s Olympics impacted—but every little girl dreaming of winning the gold is as well.”

In November 2021, the IOC released a revised policy recommendation in which individual sports bodies were asked to apply certain parameters with a particular focus on ‘foster[ing] gender equality and inclusion’ when establishing their own policies. At the time, the IOC considered that it was within the competence of each sport and its governing body to determine whether, in a particular sport, some athletes may have a disproportionate advantage over their peers. Also due to the different national legal systems and sporting practices, the IOC has not explicitly regulated the criteria for sports, but has offered a principled approach to develop their criteria that are applicable to their sport’.

The IOC came under huge criticism during this year's Paris Olympics, where Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting won gold medals in women's boxing. Both athletes had previously been disqualified from international competitions for failing to pass gender tests. Nevertheless, the IOC and its current President Thomas Bach expressed support for both athletes. However, Sebastian Coe, who is running to be the new IOC President, has promised to put in place a clear and uncompromising plan to protect women's sport, if elected.

A recent UN report by Reem Alsalem brought into light that by 2024, more than 600 female athletes have lost more than 890 medals in around 400 competitions in a total of 29 sports to men who call themselves women.