‘Old enemy’ authoritarianism poses threat to free speech globally: Rushdie

Besides religious extremism, “another old enemy” that is threatening freedom of expression in the US and around the world is authoritarianism, author Salman Rushdie said at an event in Philadelphia on Wednesday (September 13), according to The Guardian.

Rushdie, who was attacked in New York in August 2022, was speaking over video at the National First Amendment Summit when he made the remarks. The event, hosted by the National Constitution Center, was organised to discuss the threats to free speech in the US and around the world.

When Suzanne Nossel, the CEO of Pen America, an organisation that champions freedom of expression, asked him what was the greatest threat to free speech today, he reportedly replied, “If you asked me 10 or 20 years ago, I would probably have said that the main problems facing freedom of expression emanate from religious extremism. I think now we’re facing another old enemy, which is authoritarianism. I think there’s a real rise in authoritarian movements around the world, populist authoritarian demagoguery.”

According to him, the problem now is more political than religious. He reportedly said there “a willingness amongst at least some part of the population to cease to value the democratic values enshrined in the first amendment (of the US Constitution that grants the right to freedom of speech). So, I think the problem is, I would now say, political more than primarily religious”.

“Golden age never existed”

The event was held a day after the US Senate held a hearing on book censorship. According to Pen America, more than 4,000 books have been banned or restricted in the US since the autumn of 2021. Most of these books deal with racism, sexuality, and gender identity. In this time, several states have passed Bills restricting discussions on sexuality and gender identity in schools.

“One of the problems is you have essentially only one major political party that seems to believe in democratic values. And you have another one that seems to be doing everything it can to undermine them,” Rushdie reportedly said, referring to the Democrats and Republicans, respectively.

The Guardian quoted Rushdie as saying that a “golden age myth” had led to the rise of Trump and Brexit. “‘Make America great again’ — that’s always made me want to ask: ‘When exactly was that?’ What is the date to which we are looking backwards? Was it, for example, when there was slavery? Was it before women had the right to vote? Was it before the civil rights movement? Exactly which is the American greatness to which we must return?” he reportedly said.

Rushdie was quoted as saying that “the golden age...never existed, and the myth of the golden age is always used to justify actions in the present”. He reportedly added that Brexit was the result of “another golden age myth...[that] England used to be this glorious country and it could be that glorious country again, if only we could get rid of all these foreigners...[But] they neglected to mention...that the reason England was so prosperous was that it had spent 200 years plundering the rest of the world.”

The August 2022 attack left the 76-year-old author without sight in one eye and injuries to a hand, which now makes typing difficult for him.