Shameful that @openDemocracy allowed for the deeply Sinophobic, racist & xenophobic article to be published written by @BillSpence1 former vice-provost @QMUL who claims in Trumpian logic that UK academic freedom is being compromised by China & the influx of Chinese students. 1/1

@BillSpence1 contributed to the marketisation of UK higher education while he was vice provost at QMUL. Like all other university mangers, he sold the brand of QMUL to international students from around the world while enforcing border regimes on campus. 1/2

If we are going to talk about academic freedom, let's talk about the enforcement of the #HostileEnvironment on UK universities, marginalising both international students & university staff.

FYI: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/nov/28/university-staff-use-this-weeks-strike-to-protest-against-the-hostile-environment

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Let's talk about how the #HostileEnvironment is actively discriminating against migrant academic staff and especially those who are Black, Muslim and PoC. Case in point: https://medium.com/ussbriefs/the-hostile-environment-racism-and-the-value-of-migrants-in-uk-universities-80d988b6a093

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Let's talk about counter-terrorism, and the Prevent Duty and specifically how Muslim and left-wing activism is being stifled daily within UK higher education due in part to these racist measures as @abolish_prevent has stated time and again. 1/5

It is telling that for @BillSpence1, what is eroding academic freedom in UK higher education isn't either the #HostileEnvironment or #Prevent, but foreign interference from China & the many Chinese students on UK universities which he attributes to marketisation. 1/6

This idea that a foreign government is harming UK higher education and contributing to current and unworkable marketised system is both outrageous and plays into racist tropes. 1/7

It also is a argument to deflect attention from Professor Spence and all other current and former university management officials who have continued with the exploitative marketised higher education structures that fleece both British and international students. 1/8

We clearly see the fleecing during this global pandemic, as university management actively encouraged students, both British & international to return back to university, providing with with limited to no provisions in a midst of a massive COVID-19 outbreak on UK campuses. 1/9

It's important that we don't let university manager (or former ones) to derail discussions on ending the current marketised university structures that they have profited from. The only way we can end inequalities in UK higher education is if we fight for free education... 1/10

work with @UnisNotBorders in ending the #HostileEnvironment and working with @abolish_prevent to abolish counter-terrorism policies & practices in our places of learning. 1/11