Does anyone have a share token for Hadley Freeman's "Come on, authors' article in The Times?

[AmaryllisChorus]

Brilliant, forthright piece in The Times by Hadley Freeman about RSL and SoA needing to be braver at standing up against ideology that is actively violent against its naysayers. She mentions Rushdie and is very blunt about trans ideology. Well worth reading for her sheer bravery in the light of such hostility. I saw it on FB but can't reproduce it.

Do you have the link for the article?

Yep

Come on, authors — let’s show a bit of spine

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/38b0d899-cf23-43aa-a615-6449c6904a19?shareToken=3874580e72c87a7e25beab1c87556d19

Has Hadley stopped writing for the Guardian? That's a shame. Her writing was a bright spot.

If read it on her Twitter page - there can't have been a paywall as I don't have a Times subscription.

She was bullied out. https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/hadley-freeman-author-journalist-interview-free-speech-b1105347.html

Many thanks for the share token. Reading it now. This stopped me in my tracks:

Just over a year later, Rushdie was very nearly murdered on stage at an event in New York. And once again, some who should have known better sat on their hands. The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) discussed putting out a statement of support for him, but this, according to reports “was closed down by the leadership”. Dame Marina Warner, former president of the society, said, “Regarding Salman Rushdie, the official reason given was that speaking up for the rights of a writer to free expression would offend some of our members and fellows and that the RSL is not a political body. This attitude produces the odd situation that one of the few places in the UK where a writer can’t express their views is in their own society.”

What is the matter with these people? He was nearly murdered! Of course they should have expressed support for him!

I’m trying to understand what has happened at the RSL. A pro Palestine article was dropped and the writer sacked from her position ( but they said it was mutual) and the whole Christmas magazine edition binned before Xmas but they also wouldn’t speak up for Salman Rushdie attacked by an Islamist on stage. Sounds like there are two sides pro and anti Israel fighting it out between each other but I don’t understand it fully.
spectator have also written about it but that doesn’t make it any clearer to an outsider trying to understand the issue.

The archive site link to the article is below

https://archive.is/2WJvN

I posted another thread yesterday about the RSL, which makes a companion piece to this

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5009985-royal-society-for-literature-beclowning-itself

Ignore the typos in the OP

@KeeeeeepDancing - thank you.

@Floisme Ah - I saw it on FB as a photo of the article, but couldn't access it via The Times to link here, due to paywall

Just to add I read an interview with Hanif Kureishi where he called out Bernadine Evaristo and the RSL on this issue and thinks she should resign.

I don't understand why people can't condemn violence for it's own sake and seperate the violent act from the causes involved.

If you can't condemn the death and rape threats received by JKR because you believe in gender ideology, aren't you implying that behaving in a rapey threatening manner is acceptable and even inherent to belief in gender ID?

This simplistic, polarised and illogical way of thinking seems to be so pervasive and is so damaging to the chances of humans coexisting peacefully.