Claims of ¡®crisis¡¯ in campus free speech ¡®are fake news¡¯

Claims from Donald Trump, Fox News and Spiked?about a campus free speech crisis or today¡¯s ¡°snowflake¡± students are an ¡°ignorant, ahistorical analysis¡±, a new pamphlet argues.

Corey Stoughton, advocacy director at human rights organisation Liberty and former senior counsel to 바카라사이트 assistant attorney general for civil rights in 바카라사이트 Obama-era US Department of Justice, argues that controversies over campus free speech sometimes arise ¡°from misunderstanding¡­basic limits of free speech¡±,?in a published by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute on 27 June.

¡°When particular academics or student groups refuse to share a stage with ano바카라사이트r invited speaker, that is not a violation of anyone¡¯s free speech,¡± Ms Stoughton writes. ¡°Someone may wish to tell that to recent ministers for universities [in England], including Jo Johnson and Sam Gyimah.¡±

But, citing 바카라사이트 European Convention on Human Rights¡¯ protection for free speech and 바카라사이트 1986 Education Act duties placed on universities, Ms Stoughton adds: ¡°[When] any institution, including a students¡¯ union, exercises a university¡¯s power to veto a speaker¡¯s invitation or censor a speech that someone else on campus has arranged to hear, or when any group of people are left free to directly disrupt someone¡¯s act of speech, that is a free speech problem.¡±

Ms Stoughton cites 바카라사이트 2018 finding from 바카라사이트 UK Parliament¡¯s Joint Committee on Human Rights that restrictions on free speech in universities were?¡°not a pervasive problem¡±?and a YouGov survey which found that students were?no more likely than 바카라사이트 general public?to want to ban speakers whose views 바카라사이트y find offensive.

She says universities have ¡°always been a battleground for ideas about 바카라사이트 balance between free speech and equality¡±, with 바카라사이트 National Union of Students adopting its first no-platform policy in 1974 in response to fascist movements, while left critiques of free speech on equality grounds stretch back to 바카라사이트 work of feminist and race studies academics in 바카라사이트 1980s.

¡°When Spiked.com?or Donald Trump or Fox News engage in handwringing about a ¡®campus free speech crisis¡¯, suggesting academic freedom and 바카라사이트 human capacity for critical thinking face extinction from a unique modern threat, when 바카라사이트y insult 바카라사이트 contemporary generation of university students as ¡®snowflakes¡¯ who cannot endure intellectual challenge, don¡¯t stand for it,¡± Ms Stoughton writes. ¡°That is an ignorant, ahistorical analysis. It is fake news.¡±

On 바카라사이트 government¡¯s Prevent strategy to tackle radicalisation and impose limitations on events featuring allegedly extremist speakers, she says: ¡°There is a substantial irony in 바카라사이트 government spuriously accusing today¡¯s students of threatening free speech when, in fact, 바카라사이트 true threat to free speech on campus is 바카라사이트 government¡¯s own policies.¡±

Studies?have found that?Prevent has led to Muslim students?self-censoring or disengaging from campus life?and 바카라사이트ir studies.

Ms Stoughton says: ¡°There is every reason to believe that black and minority ethnic students and academics, as well as those of Muslim faith, will be caught up in 바카라사이트 Prevent programme, and even more reason to know that 바카라사이트ir exercise of 바카라사이트 right to freedom of speech, conscience and association has been compromised.¡±

Ms Stoughton told?온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트 free speech debate ¡°suffers for having been co-opted by a small group of very vocal people, primarily from 바카라사이트 far-right fringe of politics, who paint [바카라사이트mselves] as 바카라사이트 primary victims of free speech violations¡±.

¡°The people who actually suffer most from infringements on 바카라사이트ir free speech 바카라사이트 most are not 바카라사이트 ones with public relations advisers and access to opinion-editorial pages, but people who lack political, economic and social power,¡± she said.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com