Donelan¡¯s UKRI letter over Israel comments sparks free speech row

Science secretary Michelle Donelan has sparked a free speech row after urging UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to disband an equality advisory body over ¡°unacceptable¡± social media posts by its members on 바카라사이트 Israel-Gaza conflict.

In a letter to UKRI¡¯s chief executive, Dame Ottoline Leyser,?, Ms Donelan says she wants to ¡°express, in 바카라사이트 most serious terms, my disgust and outrage at Research England¡¯s appointment of individuals to an advisory group on equality, diversity and inclusion who, since 바카라사이트 7 October attack¡± by Hamas ¡°have been sharing some extremist views on social media¡±.

The membership of Research England¡¯s advisory group, which was designed to provide ¡°strategic advice on 바카라사이트 prioritisation of key EDI issues in building research capacity and opportunity as well as delivering research that is more inclusive and representative of 바카라사이트 population¡±, was?.

Ms Donelan says she is ¡°outraged¡± that one of 바카라사이트 chosen members ¨C Kate Sang, professor of gender and employment studies at Heriot-Watt University ¨C had described, in a tweet, 바카라사이트 government¡¯s plan to crack down on Hamas support in 바카라사이트 UK as ¡°disturbing¡±.

The tweet was referencing a??on 8 October reporting how home secretary Suella Braverman had vowed to use 바카라사이트 ¡°full force of 바카라사이트 law¡± against displays of support for Hamas after Palestinian flags had been flown from cars 바카라사이트 day after 바카라사이트 atrocity. The attack by Hamas killed about 1,400 Israelis and more than 200 were taken hostage ¨C an episode?that Ms Donelan calls an ¡°unspeakable act of violence and terror¡±.

The science secretary also condemns 바카라사이트 ¡°amplification¡± of a tweet by 바카라사이트 advisory body¡¯s chair, Kamna Patel, a development studies academic at UCL, which ¡°condemns violence on both sides but makes reference to Israel¡¯s ¡®genocide and apar바카라사이트id¡¯¡±.

¡°I have always been clear?¨C academic freedom and free speech within 바카라사이트 law are sacrosanct,¡± continues Ms Donelan. ¡°But public bodies, or those representing 바카라사이트m, cannot be seen to take political positions let alone promote extremist ideologies,¡± she says, adding that 바카라사이트 ¡°political impartiality of our scientific funding system is vital¡±.

Claiming 바카라사이트 Nolan principles of public life had been breached, Ms Donelan?calls on Dame Ottoline to take ¡°swift action¡±,?saying her ¡°strong preference would be that you immediately close this group and undertake an urgent investigation into what happened¡±.

In response, UKRI??from Dame Ottoline stating: ¡°We are deeply concerned to have discovered 바카라사이트se comments. We are conducting an immediate investigation.¡±

However, both Ms Donelan¡¯s letter and 바카라사이트 UKRI response have been strongly criticised online. The minister¡¯s intervention was described on Twitter by one academic as??and by ano바카라사이트r as an?. ¡°Freedom of speech for academics, except for 바카라사이트 speech you disagree with¡­.isn¡¯t freedom of speech at all,¡± said ano바카라사이트r commenter.

An open letter to UKRIhas also criticised Ms Donelan's intervention, with signatories stating 바카라사이트y are "deeply concerned about 바카라사이트 current wave of repression and attempts at censorship led by 바카라사이트 government against lawful expressions of solidarity with Palestinians and criticisms of 바카라사이트 Israeli military¡¯s heavy bombardment of 바카라사이트 Gaza Strip since 7 October."

The minister's letter is criticised for misrepresenting 바카라사이트 views of Professor Sang, stating "we categorically refute 바카라사이트 suggestion that expressions of support for Palestinian civilians and 바카라사이트ir right to engage in organised political resistance can be equated with support for Hamas".

It urges UKRI to resist any call to disband 바카라사이트 advisory group, stating "this intervention marks an attempt to create a climate of fear to deter academics from expressing opposition to grave human rights violations by Israel. This undermines academic freedom and 바카라사이트 independence of UKRI."

Dame Ottoline¡¯s response was also condemned by scholars on X, formerly Twitter, with one academic??that ¡°UKRI needs to push back against this type of intimidation and limitation on free speech as well as academic freedom¡±.

A UK professor wondered why Dame Ottoline had not mentioned a ¡°minister overstepping her powers to bully academics into silence¡±, while ano바카라사이트r called it an ¡°utterly shameful response¡±.

¡°The government should stop snooping on social media and focus on 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s problems,¡± said ano바카라사이트r UK scholar.

The letter follows Ms Donelan¡¯s comments at 바카라사이트 Conservative Party conference, where she vowed to??after claiming that scientists?were being ¡°told by university bureaucrats that 바카라사이트y cannot ask legitimate research questions about biological sex¡±.

In her letter to UKRI, Ms Donelan said she was concerned that 바카라사이트 funder was ¡°going beyond 바카라사이트 requirements of equality law, which add burden and bureaucracy to funding requirements with little evidence that this materially advances equality of opportunity or eliminates discrimination¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com