British universities will be required to “guarantee” free speech or face fines and potential de-registration in a controversial move by the British government that has divided the academic community, with some fearful that the new rules would simply enable the airing of far-right voices.
The measure is one among a series of moves outlined in a consultation launched on Thursday, relating to a newly established regulator for higher education in England, the Office for Students (OfS).
Among the roles expected of the OfS is to ensure that institutions recognise the “importance of freedom of speech and the role it plays in ensuring open debate… the aim is to ensure students are exposed to a wide range of issues and ideas in a safe environment without fear of censorship, rebuke or reprisal”, the Department of Education said on Thursday.
Universities Minister Jo Johnson said that the responsibility would include ensuring that student bodies weren’t able to “no platform” controversial speakers.
Recent controversies
The move follows a number of recent controversies in Britain — for instance, those concerning feminist writer Germaine Greer and gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell who faced protests from students over their views on transgender rights, and against plans for them to speak at universities.
While the new plan has won some academic support including from Brian Cox, the well known physicist and author, it has also faced criticism.
“There isn’t sector-wide suppression of speech, whether its right wing or other… there have been a couple of well publicised cases but my concern is they’re trying to make an issue of something that is not an issue,” says Priyamvada Gopal, a Reader on Anglophone and Post-Colonial Literature at Cambridge University. She compared the new regulation with the ‘Prevent’ regulations brought in to tackle extremism at universities that had in effect clamped down on far wider issues, including discussions relating to Palestine and Israel, with criticism of Israel being wrongly conflated with anti-Semitism.
