Protest at NUS: Urge reform of no-platform & safe space policies
Challenge all bigotry and hate but also defend free expression

On 17 March 2016, there will be a protest organised by Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Right2Debate at the National Union of Students HQ in London to urge reform of its safe space and no-platform policies, which restrict freedom of expression. This comes as 16 students from various universities have highlighted 20 different case studies of censorship.

Speakers at the rally include Alexa Robertson, Secretary of National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies; Asher Fainman, President of Goldsmiths Atheist Society; Centre for Secular Space Director Gita Sahgal; Gray Sargeant of Student Rights; Activist Imad Iddine Habib; Feminist Julie Bindel; Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain Spokesperson Maryam Namazie; Human Rights Campaigner Peter Tatchell; Right2Debate and Quilliam Foundation’s Haydar Zaki; Kurdish Women’s Rights Campaigner Houzan Mahmoud; Madelaine Hanson of UCL Quilliam University Society; Melody Patry, Senior Advocacy officer at Index on Censorship; Nari Diganta Activist Rumana Hashem; Right2Debate campaigner and president of STAR Exeter Sarah Schneider and Sophie Majoribanks of UCL Quilliam University Society. MCs for the protest will be Warwick University Atheist Society President and Right2Debate Editor Benjamin David and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain Spokesperson Rayhana Sultan.

Thursday 17 March 5-6pm
NUS headquarters
Macadam House, 275 Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8QB
Nearest tube: Kings Cross MAP
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Hello We are writing to you to ask for your support in favour of free expression and one secular law for all. 17 MARCH RALLY FOR FREE EXPRESSION ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES As you know, Islamists are often free to speak
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We, the undersigned, are outraged to learn that forty state-run media outlets in Iran have raised $600,000 (£420,000) to add as bounty to Ayatollah Khomeini’s death fatwa on writer Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses.

We condemn the Iranian regime, its fatwa and the added bounty and stand with Salman Rushdie and the many Iranian freethinkers and writers languishing in prison or facing the death penalty for exercising their right to free expression and thought.

The Iranian regime must face global condemnation for its incitement to murder.

Moreover, secular governments should unequivocally condemn the regime’s incitement to murder, demand its immediate cancellation, prioritise human rights and free expression and side with freethinkers rather than appeasing a theocratic regime.

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Please send emails to Facebook calling for an end to censorship of Arab ex-Muslim and freethinker pages: info+y6adl7t@support.facebook.com; appeals+y6adl7t@support.facebook.com; appeals+0rznxgs@support.facebook.com or Tweet @Facebook.

We are thousands of free thinkers and Ex-Muslims who lives in Middle East. We left the religion after a lot of research, but we still can’t announce this in our countries due to local laws and threat of extremists.

We are exposed to the risk of death by beheading by Islamic Sharia fundamentalism. Social media is our only outlet to feel alive, get knowledge and hope in a better future.

But Muslim fundamentalists and extremists didn’t leave us alone, and they created groups with thousands of followers which regularly report our accounts and groups to close it.
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CEMB fights on numerous fronts to challenge Islamism and apostasy laws and support those who face persecution or intimidation as a result of leaving Islam as well as opposing bigotry against Muslims and defending universal rights and secularism. Unlike Islamist organisations with huge amounts of state and other backing, we must rely on our friends to support our work. A special thanks to all those who donated to our organisation in 2015.

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