Freedom of Speech - A statement by the Chair of the University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group

[R0wantrees]

Published 27.2.18
www.bris.ac.uk/news/2018/february/freedom-of-speech.html
The University of Bristol is re-affirming its commitment to freedom of speech and to the rights of all our students and staff to discuss difficult and sensitive topics, and to being a place where all feel safe, welcomed and respected, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability or social background.

The University has been made aware of the controversy surrounding a recent meeting in Bristol, organised by the group known as “A Woman’s Place” and chaired by one of our students. The stated purpose of the event was to discuss the implications of proposed changes in the law which would mean a person’s gender could be determined by self-identification alone, and concerns about what this might mean for single sex environments such as social and sports facilities, hospital wards, changing rooms and toilets.

An open letter was posted on social media calling for the event to be banned, on the basis that the discussion would be founded on hatred and distrust of transgender people. Some 200 people are believed to have signed up to this letter, including some of our students and staff. There were many related comments on social media, some of these describing the event - and anyone involved in its organisation - as by definition transphobic with some using abusive and intimidating language. We understand that in the end the event took place without incident.

While this event was not affiliated with or hosted by the University, it presents an opportune time to affirm our commitment to freedom of speech and to the rights of all our students and staff to discuss difficult and sensitive topics. Universities are places of research and learning, where debate and dissent are not only permitted but expected, and where controversial and even offensive ideas may be put forward, listened to and challenged. Intellectual freedom is fundamental to our mission and values. Our freedom of speech policy underlines the vital importance of our right, as members of a free and democratic society, to speak openly without fear of censorship or limitation, provided that this right is exercised responsibly, within the law, and with respect for others who may have differing views. We do not condone attempts to silence discussion before it has even taken place or the use of stereotyping or threatening language to prevent debate.

We also take this opportunity to affirm our equally strong commitment to making our University a place where all feel safe, welcomed and respected, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability or social background. We believe that calls for this event to be banned were largely founded on the sincere desire to show support and solidarity for transgender people in our society and in our university community. We regret however that this desire has been expressed by some in a manner which may have caused others to fear that their own right to meet and speak freely about matters of concern to them is not protected by the University.

Professor Nishan Canagarajah
Pro-Vice Chancellor Research & Enterprise
Chair of the University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group
I have reposted this for clarity

Crikey. Finally.

Where did the other thread go? I switched from widget to computer to copy and paste a link to it and it had vanished. It looked fairly inoccuous to me

That exact statement was just deleted from another thread because the date is February.

However, I think the date must be wrong. It's too accurate a statement.

Actually, I think it is referring to a previous meeting? Not the one where they sat on the stairs. Because that was we need to talk.

Confused.

Link to thread describing 'disciplinary meetings with two students who tried to ban radical feminists fom campus in response to WPUK meeting in Bristol'
twitter.com/FeministRoar/status/989560579223322624

Agree as the "recent" meeting wasn't before Feb

I asked for it to be taken down for clarity and have reposted.
Apologies all.

Good statement

The tweet about the students disciplined on a woman's place has gone too, presume that was breaking their confidentiality or something, although the TRAs posted their names in the first place

The tweet about the students disciplined on a woman's place has gone too
I've linked to the twitter thread above.

Well done Bristol University. Freedom of speech matters to us all, whatever our views. Discussing women's rights, safeguarding and medical ethics is not transphobic.

Hello, freshly registered woman here... The statement was in reference to the earlier meeting, the previous WPUK one, not the more recent one at the Jam Jar. It’s pretty good isn’t it!

It is good! Were the protesters at the Jamjar from the Bristol uni students union?

Because if so, I wish they had all been emailed that statement beforehand.

The statement is publicly available on the university’s website. Not going to speculate on who the folks filmed on the stairs might have been.

Here's a link to the petition asking for women to be consulted about changes to the law.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

freedom of speech to discuss these changes.

Might it be a good idea to photo copy this letter and send it out to other universities?

Maybe if other universities see this, they too will finally step forward and agree that free speech is a corner stone of any university?

Also maybe some thank you letters to this university to show support?

I believe the students at the recent event were from UWE.

Clearly not bright enough for a decent uni

Excellent news. Let's hope that other universities follow this lead because there are academics who fear losing their jobs for expressing an opinion on this subject.

Disciplinary meeting (held 18/4) of Bristol University students.

The students recieved summons to disciplinary meeting (re: their opposition to the womans place meeting in Feb) on the 18th April.

The We Need To Talk to meeting at the Jam Jar was on the 19th April. Is it possible that the protesters who blocked the stairs wore masks in part because of their awareness that the University had made this statement and was prepared to discipline students who behaved inappropriately on this issue?

If Bristol University actually means what it says in this statement then it would be a good idea to do its best to locate and discipline as many as possible of their students who were involved in harassing women and blocking them from their right to meet, speak and listen at the Jamjar event.

I have showed the statement to a couple of profs at another russell group uni....

MN thread re attempts to disrupt the more recent 'We need to talk about sex' event at Jam Jar, Bristol.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3228346-Everyone-should-see-this-IMPORTANT?pg=1

I read an online right-wing journal about SJ issues in the US academy and only recently a US unversity (Chicago if I remember right) came out with a strongly worded defence of free speech and informed students not to come there if they expected to be protected and have safe spaces. Unis there have free speech zones-one was the size of two car parking zones- it was two car parking zones with painted markings! But its a good sign some unis are breaking rank.

Thank goodness one university VC has the balls to speak common sense and reiterate what Unis are there for - they are not there to deplatform but to critically think and things and engage on that level. Scientology like tactics of threats, stalking and harassment is not critical thinking and is in fact illegal.