University bans und? Williams agrees: “The whole point of a university education


is to have your views challenged even if you don’t change your mind. When you turn a university into a safe space, it just becomes an echo chamber and students leave at an intellectual disadvantage.” Using Twitter and Facebook to access news and ideas can


present a similar problem as people choose who to follow and can block anyone with an opposing view. In the US, “dis-invitation season” has become almost


an annual event where invitations to speakers are withdrawn after student protests. Williams says the difference in the US is the First Amendment. There is also no national movement or equivalent to the NUS.


“It doesn’t stop people petitioning and campaigning for things to be banned, but it makes it much more difficult to get those bans enforced, particularly against publications,” she says. “I think a lot of countries will be shocked at the things students ban. In France, Italy, Holland; some of these things are just beginning to take off, but there is certainly no culture of safe space as there is in this country.” So what needs to change? As Bradshaw points out, there are already laws to


prevent hate speech, inciting violence, discrimination and harassment, which should be sufficient. Williams lays part of the blame on lecturers and “trigger


warnings” and says academics should take a stronger stand and show students how to engage in debate. Asked if the NUS believes there is need for change,


Brooks says: “I think we need to get better at explaining our processes to wider society – it’s very easy to make a blanket case against students’ unions for having policies in place, but the fact is they are there to protect students, and I mean that in the very real sense of protetion from being physically hurt as has happened in the past, and to comply with regulation. “I do think there’s space for re-education on no


platform – the expression is very specific but is sometimes misused by the student movement, as it often is in the media.” While most students feel passionately about free speech, many remain protective of their right to a safe space. Winn, for one, does not believe safe spaces


have gone too far. “University can be a stressful environment, and it is basically your home,” she says. “Students know university environment is not representative of real life, so I don’t think it really does as much harm as people are making out.”


theJournalist | 13


Repressing free speech or wrongly labelled hostile?


According to Spiked magazine’s Free Speech University Rankings, 28 universities banned the Daily Star and/or The Sun, four banned “lads’ mags”, Aberystwyth University students’ union banned the Daily Express, and Bristol and Manchester universities banned Charlie Hebdo. Spiked found 19


universities banned speakers and 39% have “no platform” policies. In 2015, Goldsmiths


cancelled feminist comedian Kate


Smurthwaite, who was doing a gig about free speech; Cardiff University tried to ban Germaine Greer, Cambridge University dropped David Starkey from a promotional video and the University of Manchester banned feminist Julie Bindel and journalist Milo Yiannopoulos. This year, gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, was forced to pull out of a debate at Canterbury Christ Church University after NUS LGBT representative Fran Cowling refused to share a stage with him.


Richard Brooks, NUS


vice-president for union development, says: “I don’t hold Spiked’s rankings in much regard. Universities are labelled as ‘hostile to free speech and free expression’ for having bullying and harassment and equal opportunities policies. “Students’ unions are


judged for having legally recommended external speakers’ policies. These decisions are subject to well-thought out, thorough processes and are monitored under the Charity Commission.”


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