University free speech under threat

The first, ex-Strathclyde University Professor David Miller, is accused by the Jewish Society of anti-semitism. The other, Professor Steven Greer, with Islamophobia.

Miller called for an "end of Zionism" and said Jewish students were being used as “political pawns by a violent, racist foreign regime”.

Greer’s “crimes” relate to his forthright examination of the idea of Islamophobia, which he largely rejects, or at least questions as part of his critique of Islamic extremism.

Both sets of ideas presented by these very different professors could be challenged but similarly both could be defended. A perfect situation one would think for creating debates, producing leaflets and developing arguments across the university. Unfortunately, this is no longer the way of things and in both cases, there is a call for these lecturers to be silenced or sacked.

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All of this comes just at the time when the UK government is looking into the creation of a free speech tsar who can fine universities which do not protect freedom of speech.

The conundrum is this, universities want to uphold the principle of academic freedom, something that allows academics to develop their own thoughts and ideas, while simultaneously abiding by the Public Sector Equalities Duties.

Bristol University explains that they have a firm commitment to “intellectual freedom” before noting their “equally strong commitment to making our university a place where all feel safe, welcomed and respected”. But what happens when ideas are understood to be damaging, “unsafe” or unwelcoming?

The university’s Islamic Society, in many respects following the cue of the university’s equalities duty, demand that they are “protected” from the ideas that Steven Greer raises and writes about.

It may well be true that some Muslims feel they are being disrespected by Greer, but when did university life become about showing respect or keeping students safe from certain ideas?

Of course, universities are not developing their policies in a vacuum and student groups are, in many respects, reflecting what is happening in society where we have myriad laws and police practices that result in daily arrests of people saying offensive things online, street preachers being arrested and harassed by police for questioning homosexuality and new proposed laws that criminalise “hate”.

Here in Scotland, for example, we have a government which has essentially binned all of the criticism of their new Hate Crime Bill and have now made up four proposals for protecting freedom of speech, none of which defend anything.

In case you missed it, the new proposal essentially allows you to “discuss or criticise” whatever you like while criminalising any expression of “antipathy, dislike, ridicule and insult” of groups defined as having “protected characteristics”.

I suspect, following this approach both David Miller and Steven Greer could potentially find themselves not only being sacked but being arrested and possibly imprisoned.

Will comedians be arrested for ridiculing, playwrights for being insulting, what about the drunk who cracks an incorrect joke in his own home?

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The British government is focusing on free speech in universities, but this is a cop out because freedom of speech is being smashed to pieces already, all in the name of protecting people from offence and keeping people “safe”.

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see what the free speech tsar makes of the latest Hate Bill in Holyrood because I suspect that Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and the rest of the intolerant zealots ruling over us would be facing a fine of their own.

So, here’s a question for the First Minister, do you believe in academic freedom, or will you soon be arresting academics for expressing views that you dislike?

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