The Universities Minister Sam Gyimah has stated that the Department for Education should create a new set of guidelines on the promotion and protection of free speech on university campuses. Humanists UK, who has been calling for the government to issue such guidance for many years, including, uniquely, in oral and written submissions to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ (JCHR) inquiry into free speech in universities last year, has welcomed this announcement.
The minister stated that new guidance was needed because ‘there is a risk that overzealous interpretation of a dizzying variety of rules is acting as a brake on legal free speech on campus.’ He continued, ‘a society in which people feel they have a legitimate right to stop someone expressing their views on campus simply because they are unfashionable or unpopular is rather chilling.’
This announcement follows the issuing of comprehensive new guidance in March by the JCHR after its inquiry found that there are a number of factors limiting free speech including intolerant attitudes, leading to unions incorrectly using ‘no platforming’ policies, incidents of intimidation by protesters, students’ unions being unclear or over-cautious about allowing free speech that might cause offence, and confusion regarding the extent of the ‘Prevent duty’ relating to counter-terrorism.
Humanists UK played a key role in this inquiry. Chief Executive Andrew Copson gave oral evidence before the JCHR specifically calling upon the Department for Education to issue guidance to all universities and students’ unions that pulls together in one place all of the various legislation and regulations, underscoring the duty on universities to uphold freedom of speech, and clearly sets out the narrow range of circumstance in which it can be legitimately curtailed. This call was echoed in written submissions by Humanists UK, its section Humanist Students and its programme Faith to Faithless. This prompted the JCHR’s own guidance, alongside a call from the JCHR for the Government to produce its own. This now appears to be on the cards.
Since 2011, Humanist Students societies have experienced repeated incidents of censorship from overzealous students’ unions citing misplaced concerns about causing offence. It is hoped that the new guidance will help promote a fairer environment for students to organise events and to debate and challenge new ideas, for instance offering students who critique religious ideas stronger protections on campus.
Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented, ‘We are delighted that the Department for Education seems set issue new guidance. It is clear to us that no Humanist Students societies would have had their activities censored if their students’ unions had correctly applied their duty to uphold free speech. We have long campaigned for action and now it seems that the Department for Education is heeding our call.’
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For further comment or information, please contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson on richy@humanists.uk or 020 3675 0959.
Read more about our campaign work on free speech and expression: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/human-rights-and-equality/freedom-of-speech-and-expression/
Read more about Humanist Students: https://humanists.uk/students/
Humanist Students is the student section of Humanists UK, the national charity representing the non-religious. At Humanists UK, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work brings non-religious people together to develop their own views, helping people be happier and more fulfilled in the one life we have.
Humanists UK recently changed its name from the British Humanist Association: https://humanists.uk/2017/05/22/bha-becomes-humanists-uk/