Settle in and grab a cup because I'm about to serve some tea about "free speech" at UK universities

#HigherEd #HigherEducation #HEchat #AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter #StudentsNotSuspects #EducatorsNotInformants /1 https://twitter.com/DrJoGrady/status/1284015506861760512

An inquiry into freedom of speech in universities was called by @HouseofCommons & @UKHouseofLords for the @HumanRightsCtte @UKParliament Evidence was submitted, hearings were held, & a 71-page report was published in 2018 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt201719/jtselect/jtrights/589/589.pdf #HigherEd #HigherEducation /2

“The press accounts of widespread suppression of free speech are clearly out of kilter with reality. ... A large amount of evidence suggests that the narrative that ‘censorious students’ have created a ‘free speech crisis’ in universities has been exaggerated” (2018, p. 19) /3

"While the Government has been concerned about the perceived decline of freedom of speech in universities, the introduction of the Prevent duty in higher education settings has made exercising freedom of speech rights more problematic" (2018, p. 29) #StudentsNotSuspects /4

The Prevent duty is limiting free speech, especially for Muslim students & staff, students & staff of colour, & immigrant students & staff
#HigherEd #HigherEducation #HEchat #AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter #StudentsNotSuspects #EducatorsNotInformants /5

Although the current UK government may have played musical chairs since the 2018 report, after the joint report found little evidence of free speech under threat at universities (apart from the very real threat to freedom of speech presented by Prevent)... /6

After the publication of the report, the then universities minister continued to insist that "the threat to freedom of speech in universities was not 'some right-wing conspiracy theory that had been made up'" https://www.researchresearch.com/news/article/?articleId=1375743 /7

Before going on to make up a story about free speech under threat. "The rapid rebuttal from the university leaves few documented cases of censorship to justify the concern expressed about the issue by some politicians." https://www.researchresearch.com/news/article/?articleId=1375743 /8

Promoting sensational stories that are demonstrably false is easier to do when a large portion of the voting public have been convinced by this government that the world has “had enough of experts.” /9

More tea spilled in my chapter: Designated “Dangerous”: Student and Academic Dissent against the Prevent Duty in the United Kingdom and the Professor Watchlist in the United States https://www.peterlang.com/view/9781433163708/xhtml/chapter06.xhtml
#HigherEd #HigherEducation #StudentsNotSuspects #EducatorsNotInformants /10