Two thirds of students support restrictions on freedom of speech
Almost two-thirds of university students have indicated that they are in favour of restrictions on freedom of speech.
In a ComRes survey commissioned by the Victoria Derbyshire show, 63% of 1,001 students said they believe the National Union of Students (NUS) has a right to hold its 'no-platform' policy, to ban certain groups and individuals from university campuses.
More than half (54 per cent) of students surveyed also believe that the policy should be actively enforced against people who could be found intimidating.
The report follows findings from a survey revealed this January from online magazine Spiked, which showed that 55 per cent of campuses banned speakers, behaviours, pressure groups and songs in 2015, as opposed to 41 per cent in 2014.
At the time, Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said that these trends reflect an increased threat to free speech across the nation.
Policy to 'keep students safe'
The NUS has said that it is proud of its 'no-platform' policy, claiming that the results show that students recognise the importance of standing up to fascism and racism.
An NUS spokeswoman defended the policy, saying:
"In the past, students have been physically harmed and tragically even killed as a result of such organisations coming on to campuses and inciting hatred. That is why no platform was introduced in the first place, to keep students safe in a very real sense."
"Our policy does not limit free speech, but acts to defend it by calling out violence, hate speech, bullying and harassment, which allows debate to take place without intimidation. Students' unions are champions of debate on campus, in fact a recent survey showed zero out of 50 students' unions had banned a speaker in the past year."
Censorship 'entrenched'
Proponents of ‘no-platform’ policy believe that certain speakers would threaten a "safe space", which aims to protect students from intimidation or judgement.
Despite the NUS's claims, there have been several recent examples of speakers being censored for views that were simply considered offensive.
Last November, students attempted to stop feminist Germaine Greer from speaking at a lecture at Cardiff University, due to comments she had made about individuals who identify as transgender. 3,000 people signed a petition calling on the union to ban her, although the lecture still went ahead.
Similarly, writer Julie Bindel was banned from speaking at Manchester University last October because students said her views could "incite hatred towards and exclusion of our trans students".
Tom Slater, who compiled the findings of Spiked’s survey of 115 UK universities, commented:
"Stories of edgy speakers being no-platformed, of more and more campuses being smothered by safe spaces, have hit headlines in the past year. But our findings reveal that campus censorship has become more entrenched than anyone could have imagined."
Christian Concern's Wilberforce Academy has also experienced censorship by university authorities.
In 2013, Oxford University's Trinity College apologised for holding the Wilberforce Academy, on the grounds that its biblical teaching on marriage failed to comply with its 'open and inclusive' ethos.
In 2014, a planned debate on abortion at Oxford University was called off after pro-abortion students threatened to disrupt it.
Students at 'crucial age of asking big questions'
Andrea Williams commented that the latest poll highlights growing challenges to sharing the gospel at universities, as well as in the wider public sphere.
"The fact that two-thirds of students support no-platforming is significant, as it reflects a pattern across the UK of censoring material that may be considered offensive," she said.
"Increasingly it is Christian teaching that is coming under fire, and growing censorship means that sharing the good news of the gospel is becoming more challenging. We've seen this in the cases of our Christian Legal Centre clients, such as street preacher Mike Overd, who was convicted for preaching the 'wrong' Bible verse.
"Our university campuses are key places for debate and engagement with views on important issues, with young people at a crucial age where they are asking big questions and forming worldviews. We need to pray for the freedom of Christian individuals, unions and outside speakers to continue speaking of Jesus on campuses," she added.
Related Links:
Growing censorship at UK universities
Trinity apologises for hosting Christian Concern (Oxford Student)
Oxford students shut down abortion debate. Free speech is under assault on campus (Telegraph)
