Issue 2 Editorial – Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
There is growing concern that student and staff activists at British Universities are censoring talks by people whose views they do not like. Topics in talks that have been banned include right wing philosophy, extreme religious views, human rights, race, abortion, the catastrophe in Syria and Iraq, and holocaust denial. Some of these views are abhorrent to many people. But should we hear exactly what the proponents believe or argue, so that we can contest them? Is it a suppression of the free speech that we love so much to ban these extremists from having any platform. Furthermore it has been reported recently in the Press that staff at several Universities have been sacked because their views do not fit in with current thinking. Is this another example of loss of freedom of speech, so preciously gained over several centuries? Please email us your views.
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