Gavin Williamson says holocaust deniers will ‘never, never, never’ be protected under new freedom of speech laws designed to stamp out ‘cancel culture’ at universities
- Williamson defended the proposed Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
- But Education Secretary said it would only ‘protect free speech within the law’
- Mr Williamson said that the law would ‘never protect Holocaust denies’
The Education Secretary has defended the proposed Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
Holocaust deniers will ‘never, never, never’ be protected by the Government’s new freedom of speech laws, Gavin Williamson said.
The Education Secretary has defended the proposed Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which would give regulators the power to fine universities or students’ unions in England if they failed to protect freedom of expression.
Universities have been dogged in recent years by ‘no-platforming’ campaigns which have seen well-known and highly respected speakers blocked from giving talks over views deemed too ‘controversial’.
Under new plans, student unions who ‘no-platform’ controversial speakers could be fined £500,000 – sparking concerns this could enable Holocaust deniers to speak on campuses.
But Mr Williamson said that the law would ‘never protect Holocaust denies’, adding that it would only ‘protect free speech within the law’.
Speaking during the Queen’s Speech debate, Mr Williamson added: ‘We know that anti-Semitic activity and anti-Semitism are not to be tolerated.
Academics and politicians who have been cancelled at UK universities
Universities have been dogged in the past few years by campaigns to block appearances from figures seen as controversial by some students and staff.
Well-known and highly respected speakers – such as celebrated feminist Germaine Greer and Former Women’s Hour host Jenni Murray – have had to cancel appearances at top universities over allegations they were racist, transphobic or homophobic.
Here are some of the academics, authors, students and politicians who were ‘no-platformed’ due to their views:
Jordan Peterson: Canadian self-help guru and psychologist had an offer of a visiting fellowship rescinded in 2019 after Cambridge University’s student union complained his views were ‘not representative of the student body’. He rose to prominence when he challenged Canadian legislators over compelling speech over trans people’s preferred pronouns. He is openly anti-political correctness and believes that men are as much the victim’s of gender discrimination as the perpetrators of it.
Dame Jenni Murray: The former Women’s Hour presenter pulled out of an Oxford University talk after student leaders claimed she made ‘transphobic comments’ in a 2017 newspaper article in which she said: ‘Be trans, be proud — but don’t call yourself a ‘real woman”. She wrote in the Sunday Times that ‘it takes more than a sex change and make-up’ to ‘lay claim to womanhood’.
Germaine Greer: The feminist icon defied attempts to ban her from giving a speech at Carfiff University in 2015 after students claimed she was transphobic. Giving her address under tight security she said that she did not believe that post-operative male to female trans-sexuals were women, adding: ‘I don’t believe a woman is a man without a c***. You can beat me over the head with a baseball bat. It still won’t make me change my mind.’
Amber Rudd: The former Tory home secretary was dis-invited by an Oxford University group over her links to the Windrush scandal. She had been due to address the UNWomen Oxford UK society. But She arrived to an empty hall after Felicity Graham, president of society, was forced to cancel the event following a majority vote by its committee. The cancelling was criticised by among others Alan Rusbridger, the former Guardian editor.
Professor Selina Todd: Oxford academic was no-platformed by a festival at her own university after pressure from trans activists. She supports Woman’s Place, a group branded as a ‘trans-exclusionary hate group’ by the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights. Both Women’s Place and Prof Todd deny being transphobic. The Professor of Modern History was last year chosen to lead the Oxford Martin Programme on Women’s Equality and Inequality.
Felix Ngole: Devout Christian who was thrown off a university social work course after being accused of posting derogatory comments about homosexuals and bisexuals on Facebook. The Yorkshireman said he was expressing a traditional Christian view and complained that Sheffield University bosses unfairly stopped him completing a postgraduate degree. He won a legal battle to be reinstated, saying it was ‘great news’ for anyone who cares about free speech.
Rosa Freedman: Women’s rights expert Prof Freedman is among a number of academics who have called for sex and gender to be defined differently in law, which would mean transgender women could be barred from entering ‘women’s only’ toilets or prisons. The law professor revealed in 2018 she had been threatened with rape and murder and forced to hide behind trees to avoid transgender-rights activists who allegedly drenched her office door in urine.
‘It is clear in the Equality Act passed in 2010 and we will never tolerate that, and this legislation will not allow Holocaust deniers to be able to spread their hate and misinformation on our campuses.’
Labour had raised concerns over comments made by universities minister Michelle Donelan during a BBC Radio 4 interview, in which she was asked about how the reforms would impact upon the ability of Holocaust deniers to speak on campuses.
Shadow education secretary Kate Green suggested that focusing on free speech in universities was ‘the wrong priority’.
She told the Commons: ‘Much more concerning though, the universities minister (Ms Donelan) was forced to admit on radio yesterday that this flawed legislation could have dangerous and troubling consequences – including potentially protecting holocaust deniers.’
Intervening, Mr Williamson replied: ‘The universities minister never said that this would protect Holocaust deniers, and it wouldn’t protect Holocaust deniers because this party does not stand for anti-Semitism – unlike the party opposite.
‘This party recognises that we need to eradicate anti-Semitism and racism of all its kinds and this legislation will never, never, never protect Holocaust deniers, because that is something that should never and will never be tolerated.’
Ms Green countered: ‘Anti-Semitism is intolerable in my party and in any organisation and in any part of this country, but I am very sorry to tell the Secretary of State that the legislation does appear to offer protection, potentially, to anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers.
‘And the universities minister yesterday was not able to gainsay that.’
Charlotte Nichols, Labour MP for Warrington North, said Ms Donelan ‘was explicitly asked if this would cover Holocaust denial, and she explicitly said that it would’.
Ms Nichols added: ‘This is appalling. There is no academic merit whatsoever in debate or distortion or denial of the Holocaust, and I hope (Ms Green) will agree with me that the Secretary of State should correct the record just then, because what he said has misled the House.’
Reading a transcript of the minister’s interview on Radio 4, Ms Green noted that when asked whether a Holocaust denier would be invited to a university campus, Ms Donelan said ‘obviously it would depend exactly on what they were saying’.
Ms Green continued: ‘It never depends on what a Holocaust denier is saying.’
Intervening once more, Mr Williamson replied: ‘Let us be absolutely clear that this legislation will never protect Holocaust deniers. It protects free speech within the law.’
The Education Secretary continued: ‘We know that anti-Semitic activity and anti-Semitism are not to be tolerated. It is clear in the Equality Act passed in 2010 and we will never tolerate that, and this legislation will not allow Holocaust deniers to be able to spread their hate and misinformation on our campuses.’
Opening the debate, Mr Williamson focused on the Government’s plan to offer a lifetime skills guarantee for access to education and training.
He insisted young people would not need to leave their hometown to find a rewarding career under the reforms.
Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh warned that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill could have ‘unintended consequences’ over how it is enforced, adding: ‘It’s down to the leadership of the universities and the schools to ensure free speech within reason.
‘Free speech should be governed by good manners, it shouldn’t be governed by laws, and we should therefore protect free speech, and it’s down to headteachers and vice-chancellors to ensure this ridiculous platforming stops.
‘I don’t want to get into the whole transgender issue but, just because you’re a well-known feminist writer who has made a few comments on transgender issues, you should not be barred from speaking at university.’
Opening the debate, Mr Williamson focused on the Government’s plan to offer a lifetime skills guarantee for access to education and training.
He insisted young people would not need to leave their hometown to find a rewarding career under the reforms.
Source: Read Full Article