The Office for Students is consulting on its proposed guidance for universities and students’ unions on freedom of speech. Universities have had a duty to take “reasonably practicable steps” to secure freedom of speech since the Education Act of 1986.…
King’s College London Israel Society has been forced to cancel an event after an invited speaker received numerous death threats. King’s College London Israel Society describes itself as a community of Israeli students, students with a connection to Israel or…
Government is a natural opponent, not supporter of free speech, and will always seek to curtail it in the name of public order or national security. That is why bodies like CAF are needed to defend academic freedom against all…
An academic who has previously attempted to cancel a conference will chair Research England’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion steering group. Dr Kamna Patel is a development academic and associate professor at University College London. In October 2023 Patel was appointed…
A number of universities have published guides, training courses, and statements on microaggressions which undermine freedom of expression and academic freedom. The term “microaggression” was popularised by the Harvard psychologist Dr Derald Sue. Sue defines microaggressions as: Everyday verbal, non-verbal…
A UK employment tribunal has ruled for the first time that anti-Zionist beliefs are protected under the Equality Act. David Miller is a sociologist and previously professor at Bristol University. His research focusses on the use of propaganda and lobbying…
Only three of the twenty-four Russell Group universities have publicly committed to maintaining institutional neutrality. Universities have been required, since the 1986 Education Act, to publish a code of conduct for their staff and students, with the aim of securing…
The Office for Student’s proposed guidance for students’ unions on their duties to secure free speech contains little useful information. Under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, students’ unions have a duty to take “reasonably practicable” steps to secure…
A student who was expelled from a university master’s course in psychotherapy because of his gender critical beliefs has won an important legal victory against the UK Counsel for Psychotherapy (UKCP). James Esses is a former barrister training to become…
Nearly 75% of UK universities have adopted a definition of antisemitism that restricts academic freedom. The definition comes from International Holocaust Memorial Alliance (IHRA) and runs as follows: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as…