The UK Government clarifies free speech policy amid ‘no platforming’ at universities
In the last few years, universities across the globe have been convulsed by the issue of no-platforming, a practice whereby controversial speakers are prevented from airing their opinions in speeches on university campuses.
For many it is the ultimate manifestation of the snowflake generation, the pejorative term for millennials who are quick to take offence at controversial comments. For others, it is a vital way of making university campuses ‘safe spaces’ for vulnerable minorities.
The government in Westminster, it seems, has had enough. On Saturday, they released a document authored with the Equality and Human Rights Commission which stated unequivocally that university campuses should be places of free expression and vigorous debate. Holyrood, on the other hand, has remained silent.
The document aimed at students’ unions in England and Wales is intended to clarify the legal boundaries of free expression and encourage academic institutions to promote free speech, even if it may “offend, shock or disturb” some students.
The document states: “The right to express views and ideas freely, without fear of interference or persecution, is an essential part of democracy. Respectful debate and conversation helps us challenge discrimination, get rid of intolerance and harmful attitudes, and build strong, positive communities.”
Its publication follows a 2017 inquiry by the Joint Committee on Human Rights into the issue of free speech on campuses. The inquiry found that there were concerns about “increased bureaucracy and potential self-censorship from students on campus”. As well as this, it flagged “intolerant attitudes and violent protest” as potential barriers of free speech, with situations often muddled by a confused interpretation of the law.
The document aims to eradicate this confusion. It states clearly: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This means everyone has the right to express lawful views and opinions freely, in speech and in writing, without interference from the state or other bodies carrying out public functions, including most higher education providers.”
It will come as unwelcome news to many students’ unions, who have made headlines by no-platforming speakers they disagree with. One of the most common areas of controversy relates to transgender issues. In 2015, the famous feminist writer Germaine Greer had to give a lecture to Cardiff University students under heavy security because she had expressed so-called transphobic views in the past.
Meanwhile, last year Bristol University’s student’s union backed proposals to ban any ‘Terf’ speakers on their campus. The term pejoratively refers to Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists, women who hold the opinion that people born as men but identifying as women are not real women.
Dame Jenni Murray has also been tarred with the “Terf” label on account of an article she wrote for the Sunday Times saying it “takes more than a sex change and make-up” to “lay claim to womanhood”. In December it was reported that the University of Hull was facing a backlash after deciding to name a lecture theatre after the Radio 4 broadcaster.
Some people see action like this as an indispensable tool for making minorities feel comfortable in higher education institutions. Senthorun Raj, a lecturer at Keele University, told Channel 4 News last week some people need to be denied a platform.
He said: “I’m a big fan of free speech. Not everyone has the same access to these spaces to get their views heard and we need to think more about the dynamics around equality, around discrimination, and harassment. In some cases it may be not giving a platform to someone, absolutely. Being denied a space to speak is not the same as being persecuted for your views.”
Scottish campuses have experienced their own free speech controversies. Last year, Glasgow Student’s for Life, a society founded on its opposition to abortion, was refused affiliation as an official university society, because the students’ union did not want to help promote their views.
Grace Deighan, the group’s president, said: “It’s important to have an educated discussion. That’s what university is about. You can’t walk through life with the same opinions as everyone that you meet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a civil discussion about it.”
In light of this, and the action taken by the Westminster government, it remains to be seen whether the government at Holyrood will take any action to promote free speech on campuses.
By Samuel Casey