Campaign of bullying and intimidation at Sussex University vs Professor Kathleen Stock

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Absolute disgrace. Posters on campus calling for her to be sacked. Academic colleague tweeting that he agrees with this. twitter.com/FrancescoFv37/status/1445727937660076032?t=-Di7mRf5sznFvvzww8UI2w&s=19 I saw a tweet saying there was a burning in effigy. Can't confirm this but nothing would surprise me now. Time for Sussex staff, students and alumni to put their heads over the parapet.

[MedusasButterDish]

@AnotherLass

He has just locked down his account - I guess if the atmosphere at Sussex is that bad, he would not be expecting the reaction he got.

I consider someone talking up front a lot about empathy and compassion a huge red flag. The most abusive person I've ever known did so. It's a personality disorder sign. Real compassionate people show, they don't tell.

Excellent point. They don't seem to expect the pushback they're starting to get, and it's shocking to see.

[NecessaryScene]

The tide is going out on the public tolerance for this stuff, but quite a few people inside the hate-bubble seem to have not noticed, so they are being genuinely shocked at the pushback they get when they attempt a virtue-signal attack.

[ncsussex]

I work there (at home at the moment so haven't seen any of what's happening on campus). Vice-chancellor's email address is [email protected]

[GingerAndTheBiscuits]

@bluerecruit 2002-2005 for me. I’m not in touch with anyone I attended with, for very good reason.

[bluerecruit]

[quote GingerAndTheBiscuits]@bluerecruit 2002-2005 for me. I’m not in touch with anyone I attended with, for very good reason.[/quote]
I'm in touch with the only working class friend I made there and none of the others.

I myself am achingly middle class (my own father was a Vice Chancellor at another university while I was studying at Sussex ). But the difference was I KNEW it. I knew I was lucky and I also knew the value of working (my parents came from very humble working class stock).

I worked all the way through university and the trustafarians looked down on me for being part of 'the system' while they were sticking it to the man living off rich Daddy's allowance.

So, so, so tiresome.

[Artichokeleaves]

There seems an absolute inability and fear of putting down boundaries and it's getting pathetic. If you have not got the guts to keep behaviour to appropriate standards in your organisation then you're failing in your job and you need replacing. Move over. Get out of the way.

Basic nursery manners: whatever you feel, you cannot express it in this way. Where is the law being applied without fear or favour in response to what is just plain bad behaviour now that has been indulged until it's become really silly?

[bluerecruit]

We weren't seeing things like this a couple of years ago. I think Maya has done so much to change things.

[GingerAndTheBiscuits]

Good on the VC. Hope they absolutely hold the line on this and weed out those threatening Dr Stock. Might just have to go buy her book in solidarity.

[FlyingOink]

I saw Doc Stock at the Woman's Place thing in Brighton a couple of years ago; she was excellent. I have her book and haven't started it yet (oops) but if she ever looks in here I'd like to add to previous posters' promises to help crowdfund any legal action she takes. And to show my support for her.

She's always super polite, possibly too much so, and it's never enough for these idiots. They just want all women to shut up and #be kind.

[BraveBananaBadge]

I've seen a journalist from a well known regional paper on Twitter defaming Kathleen as a bully and ranting about t**fs, and then gloating at how delighted he was to 'rile people up'. More power to the people flagging it up to his employer, as there's so much wrong with that it's hard to know where to begin.

[FlyingOink]

@bluerecruit

We weren't seeing things like this a couple of years ago. I think Maya has done so much to change things.

That's actually a pretty clear statement! I'm a bit relieved.

[ncsussex]

Email from VC just been sent to all Sussex Uni staff:

"Everyone at the University has the right, in law and under the University’s Dignity and Respect policy, to be free from harassment and intimidation.

Yesterday, there was a protest on campus which, from the initial evidence, appears to have been designed to attack Professor Kathleen Stock for exercising her academic freedoms, and to pressurise the University to terminate her employment. Although the overwhelming number of messages I have received about the incident have supported Kathleen, I have been disturbed to receive amongst them a message calling for Kathleen to be sacked.

An investigation into the incident and its aftermath is underway and, in order not to prejudice any subsequent action, I don’t want to comment too much at this stage. However, the University cannot and will not tolerate threats to cherished academic freedoms and will take any action necessary to protect the rights of our staff."

[Artichokeleaves]

Good!

Now they need to have the nerve to stand behind that with actions. Students should be expelled for that mess.

[LizzieSiddal]

Thank goodness for that statement. I do hope they follow through with robust action.

[dianebrewster]

I'm ex Sussex Student and Staff - before this current VC, but I do hear he has not swallowed the kool aid.

The bearded art history maggot was getting throughly lambasted on twitter this morning. I can't see how his statements would be not be misconduct - if not gross misconduct.

[334bu]

Well done Sussex

[Jaysmith71]

Fine words.

Let us see actions to match.

As Speverend Rooner once said: "You will be dent sound on the town drain to London."

[Doomscrolling]

I wonder how many emails and phone calls they got - I sent one saying I am helping my child choose her higher education and we wouldn’t consider an institution that doesn’t back up its staff.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

Well done that VC.
I am sorry to see from Google he is about to leave though it’s good that he will be moving to another VCship at Birmingham.

[thirdfiddle]

That is a huge relief to see from Sussex Uni. (It shouldn't have to be!)

Still not optimistic that the perpetrators will be appropriately disciplined. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised there too, but they have enough loud woke students that they have no way of knowing if they're actually a majority or have just succeeded in bullying the rest into silence.

[Doyoumind]

Absolutely vile.

They always forget to mention she's a lesbian. Do they even know she is? She's not the right sort of queer for them.

And they can't spell.

Is this really representative of the educated class in 2021?

[DoesHePlayTheFiddle]

Reading about what is going on at Sussex - it seems like terrorism to me. It's an intimidation far worse than 'bullying'. It intends to destroy the woman named but also to terrify others into not thinking or speaking as she does. It is exactly the opposite of what a university should be.

Not only should right-thinking people choose not to go there, but any organisation funding the university should withdraw.

Are laws not being broken? This can't be right. There should be prosecutions, not just exclusions.

[Onyernelly]

👏 👏 👏

[Datun]

Glad to see that. Especially the word cherished.

[Ormally]

They do have a PREVENT page, Safeguarding policy, and steering group, if this is of interest.