• Login
  • Register
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result

Body to Fight Cancel Culture Formed by 100 Top U.K. Academics

by Richard Eldred
5 November 2023 1:00 PM

Over 100 academics from leading U.K. universities have united to “fight cancel culture” through the establishment of a new council dedicated to upholding academic freedom. The Telegraph has the story.

In the first move of its kind, the scholars have formed the London Universities’ Council for Academic Freedom that spans all of the capital’s campuses, including University College London (UCL), King’s College London, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics.

It aims to defend the principles of free inquiry, intellectual diversity and civil discourse, following a spate of free speech rows in recent years and escalating campus rows over the Hamas-Israel war.

Inspired by the Harvard Council on Academic Freedom in the U.S. which was launched earlier this year, the group has already amassed more than 100 academics – 70 of them professors – mainly from the ‘big four’ London universities who are members of the prestigious Russell Group.

They will aim to prevent free speech scandals happening in the first place by “demonstrating the strength and breadth of support for academic freedom” to university bosses and drawing up resources to challenge “institutional policies and practices” that erode free speech.

One of the co-founders, John Armstrong, a lecturer in financial mathematics at King’s College London, told the Telegraph: “We all need to fight cancel culture. It has been painted as a Left-Right issue, but academics across the political spectrum need to know that they can explore controversial ideas without fearing for their careers.”

Another co-founder, Prof. Alice Sullivan, a sociology expert at UCL, said: “It is really important because if academics don’t defend academic freedom then we can’t rely on anyone else to do it.

“Over the last few years, there have been growing concerns about academic freedom and we think it’s timely given the legislation on academic freedom, that may give us an entry point to actually get university leaders to engage with these issues with academics who care deeply about it.

“The transgender issue has alerted people to how serious the problems are, but of course it’s not just that – whether it be the current discussion about Israel-Palestine, Islam, race, all sorts of issues.”

Worth reading in full.

Tags: Academic FreedomBig FourFree SpeechHarvard Council on Academic FreedomLondon Universities’ Council for Academic FreedomUniversities

Donate

We depend on your donations to keep this site going. Please give what you can.

Donate Today

Comment on this Article

You’ll need to set up an account to comment if you don’t already have one. We ask for a minimum donation of £5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums.

Sign Up
Previous Post

Parents Could Be Charged With Domestic Abuse for Not Using Their Child’s Preferred Pronoun

Next Post

For Their Childrens’ Sake, Parents Should Get Back to the Office

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please log in to comment

To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.

Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.

3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

DONATE

PODCAST

Special Episode of the Sceptic: Charles Cornish-Dale on Testosterone Decline, How the Modern World Is Making Us Sick and How to Save the West

by Richard Eldred
11 July 2025
2

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

News Round-Up

16 July 2025
by Richard Eldred

Why Have 16,000 Afghans Been Settled in the UK When Only 1,000 Served With British Forces?

16 July 2025
by Will Jones

The Trials of Generation Z

15 July 2025
by Sallust

HSBC’s Exit From the Net Zero Banking Alliance Shows the Green Blob’s Attempt to Become the Green Mob is Over

16 July 2025
by Ben Pile

The Problem With the Internet of Things

16 July 2025
by James Alexander

News Round-Up

38

Why Have 16,000 Afghans Been Settled in the UK When Only 1,000 Served With British Forces?

19

HSBC’s Exit From the Net Zero Banking Alliance Shows the Green Blob’s Attempt to Become the Green Mob is Over

13

Are Humans Much Less Selfish Than We Thought?

12

Banning Alternative für Deutschland is a Disaster the Right Must Unite to Stop

8

Banning Alternative für Deutschland is a Disaster the Right Must Unite to Stop

16 July 2025
by Eugyppius

The Problem With the Internet of Things

16 July 2025
by James Alexander

Are Humans Much Less Selfish Than We Thought?

16 July 2025
by Noah Carl

HSBC’s Exit From the Net Zero Banking Alliance Shows the Green Blob’s Attempt to Become the Green Mob is Over

16 July 2025
by Ben Pile

A School Excluding a 12 Year-Old Girl for Wearing a Union Jack Dress Must be a Wake-Up Call

15 July 2025
by C.J. Strachan

POSTS BY DATE

November 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« Oct   Dec »

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

POSTS BY DATE

November 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« Oct   Dec »

DONATE

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

News Round-Up

16 July 2025
by Richard Eldred

Why Have 16,000 Afghans Been Settled in the UK When Only 1,000 Served With British Forces?

16 July 2025
by Will Jones

The Trials of Generation Z

15 July 2025
by Sallust

HSBC’s Exit From the Net Zero Banking Alliance Shows the Green Blob’s Attempt to Become the Green Mob is Over

16 July 2025
by Ben Pile

The Problem With the Internet of Things

16 July 2025
by James Alexander

News Round-Up

38

Why Have 16,000 Afghans Been Settled in the UK When Only 1,000 Served With British Forces?

19

HSBC’s Exit From the Net Zero Banking Alliance Shows the Green Blob’s Attempt to Become the Green Mob is Over

13

Are Humans Much Less Selfish Than We Thought?

12

Banning Alternative für Deutschland is a Disaster the Right Must Unite to Stop

8

Banning Alternative für Deutschland is a Disaster the Right Must Unite to Stop

16 July 2025
by Eugyppius

The Problem With the Internet of Things

16 July 2025
by James Alexander

Are Humans Much Less Selfish Than We Thought?

16 July 2025
by Noah Carl

HSBC’s Exit From the Net Zero Banking Alliance Shows the Green Blob’s Attempt to Become the Green Mob is Over

16 July 2025
by Ben Pile

A School Excluding a 12 Year-Old Girl for Wearing a Union Jack Dress Must be a Wake-Up Call

15 July 2025
by C.J. Strachan

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union
  • Home
  • About us
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Facebook

  • X

Instagram

RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In

© Skeptics Ltd.

wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment