Free-speech win welcome

Christian free-speech campaigners are hailing a victory after Cambridge University academics vetoed a proposed crackdown.

In a draft plan to alter its existing statement on freedom of speech, the university had said people must be ‘respectful’ of ‘differing opinions’ and ‘diverse identities’.

However, more than 100 scholars and senior staff quickly objected, saying the ‘authoritarian’ proposals could threaten academic freedom. Their amendment to change the phrase ‘respectful of’ to ‘tolerate’ was voted on by members of the University’s governing body and won ‘by a landslide’.

A spokesperson for Christian organisation CARE said: ‘This outcome is a considerable victory, after a mounting series of incidents in the past few years where staff and students have been targeted for their views at universities across the UK.

‘As one of the most influential institutions in the world, this vote will likely have a considerable impact on freedom of speech at other universities.’

The amendment to the draft new policy, put forward by Dr Arif Ahmed, also removed the list of reasons speakers could be banned and instead replaced it with a commitment to allow anyone to speak at the university, so long as they did not break the law, libel or harass anyone.

More than 1,300 academics voted in favour of his amendment, with fewer than 200 voting for the original proposals.

Following the vote, Dr Ahmed said: ‘I had always thought, and this has confirmed my suspicions, that the vast majority of academics are totally committed to the most robust kind of free speech, and have no time for no-platforming or shutting anyone down.’

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope, said the vote in favour of the amendment was ‘an emphatic reaffirmation of free speech’.