Laws protecting freedom of speech at British universities following long-standing concerns about attacks on students with unorthodox views have been repealed by the New Left Labour government just days before they were due to come into force.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, due to come into force next month, will give protections to students, staff and guest speakers, such as not being barred from university campuses for lawful speech. The act includes the right to “academic freedom”, which guarantees “the right to question and challenge established ideas and to present new, controversial or unpopular opinions”.
These concepts were once considered an essential feature of university life and the pursuit of knowledge, but after years of so-called “cancel culture” and efforts to ban unorthodox views from campuses, the previous administration passed a free speech bill last year.
That government was ousted from power in a general election earlier this year and the new left-wing globalist Labour government has called the free speech laws “intrusive” and moved swiftly to repeal them, citing “concerns from vulnerable groups”.
Toby Young, Director of the Free Speech Union He told Digital Magazine Mr Anhard said the move was “deeply disturbing” and he feared it was a “harbinger of much worse things to come as a Westminster version of Scottish hate crime legislation”.
The Government’s attack on free speech laws is shocking. If Labour refuses to open debate on a bill passed in the last Parliament, the Free Speech Coalition will launch judicial review proceedings.
As is widely known, freedom of speech is under threat in our universities… pic.twitter.com/uRDUN6wk8V
— Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) July 26, 2024
Freedom of speech is ““This could potentially harm the welfare of students,” the government said.“New York State Education Commissioner Bridget Phillipson said, “For too long, universities have been despised as political battlegrounds rather than public goods, distracting from the core issues facing our people.”
In fact, the government has made it clear that its intention is quite the opposite, and in a document outlining the changes released on Friday it said it would refocus the Office for Students’ priorities on: “Strengthening protections against harassment.” Laudable perhaps, but certainly a sign of putting feelings above rights.
Government According to the briefing:
Due to concerns from vulnerable groups that this rule could have a negative impact on student welfare, we will suspend enforcement of this legislation… The Secretary of Education will consider options for the law in the longer term, including repeal.
… There are widespread concerns about the negative impact the law will have on vulnerable groups, including that it could protect hate speech on campuses and lead educational institutions to ignore the safety and well-being of minority groups, including Jewish students.
Breitbart reported in 2018 when the ruling Conservative government first debated the free speech laws that Labour is now trying to block, and its rhetoric shows that the left’s opposition to freedom has not changed in the years since.
The government has become increasingly concerned about a growing number of student unions blocking debates under the guise of “safe spaces”, claiming that certain opinions are “harmful” to minority groups.
The “ban-platforming” policy was originally used against alleged fascists, but has also been applied to reformist Muslims, UKIP members, feminists, transgender people, critics of political correctness, abortion and even Conservative MPs.
In the absence of official institutional sanction, masked leftists and so-called “anti-fascists” have used intimidation and even violence to silence those who disagree with them.
“That is why I am convening leaders of the higher education sector to clarify the rules and regulations around speakers and events to prevent bureaucrats and campus disruptors from exploiting the gap for their own purposes,” Gyima added.
