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Free Speech Row as Durham University Debate Society Banned by Student Union Over “DEI Non-Compliance”

by Will Jones
3 October 2024 7:35 PM

A freedom of speech row has erupted at Durham University as one of its oldest societies, the 182 year-old Durham Union debating society, was banned from taking part in freshers’ fair over “DEI non-compliance”. The Mail has the story.

The fresher’s fair, which is organised by the university’s student union, sees hundreds of new students flock to stalls set up by various societies on campus. 

However, this year the university’s 182-year-old debating society, whose previous guest include ex-Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May, as well as the late Dame Maggie Smith. was blocked from taking part amid racism allegations.

Durham Students’ Union claimed Durham Union Society had fallen short in proving it had improved its standards following accusations of racism, the Telegraph reports. 

It also said that the debating society, which is a registered charity, was independent from the university and had no formal commitment to the institution. 

A free speech group has slammed the student body, accusing it of “censorious behaviour”.

In a letter to Durham University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen O’Brien, the Free Speech Union alleged Durham Union Society had been barred from the event because “it isn’t Left-wing enough”.

In a letter seen by MailOnline, the founder of the group, Toby Young claimed the university had a responsibility to protect free speech for all students, staff and visiting guests.

“As things stand, it is now incumbent on the university to ensure that the situation is rectified,” he wrote in a letter seen by the publication. 

Mr. Young implied that the dispute would have not occurred if the Government hadn’t paused its introduction of new free speech legislation.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced in July she would halt the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act while the Government considered its future. 

The new law would have meant universities were obligated to actively encourage free speech on campus and establish a new complaints process for individuals affected by no-platforming.

Mr. Young told MailOnline: “Durham Students’ Union claims this isn’t a free speech issue because it hasn’t banned the debating society because of its officers views or the views expressed by invited speakers. But that’s misleading.

“It has banned the debating society because, in the eyes of the Students’ Union, it hasn’t adopted sufficiently robust Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policies. But such policies are not apolitical, particularly not the extreme ones the Students’ Union wanted the debating society to adopt.

“On the contrary, they’re rooted in a far-Left political ideology. In effect, the Students’ Union’s refusal to allow the debating society a platform is because it has refused to embrace its woke agenda.

“That makes it a free speech issue and, as such, it wouldn’t have been possible for the Students’ Union to no-platform the debating society if the Government hadn’t torpedoed the Freedom of Speech Act, which is designed to tackle cancel culture at universities.”

Worth reading in full.

Weirdly, the dispute originated with “conservative commentator” Samantha Smith who, after writing online she had not experienced racism at Durham (she is of Afro-Hispanic heritage), was subjected (in absentia) to a racial slur by someone at a Durham Union event who objected to her writing. She has since tried to have the person ejected from the university and made a huge fuss about his punishment being inadequate (he was kicked out of the debating society and asked to do 100 hours of community service). Meanwhile, the Students’ Union’s latest action against Durham Union was set in motion by the racist remark. It doesn’t seem very “conservative” to me to pursue the cancellation of a person, even an unpleasant one, or a debating society over a demeaning word. Maybe time to call off the “conservative” dogs?

Tags: CensorshipConservatismDEIDurham UniversityEDIFree SpeechHigher Education (Freedom of Speech) ActRacismStudentsUniversitiesWoke Gobbledegook

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10 Comments
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RickH
RickH
3 years ago

Where’s the emergency?

The MHRA is a disgrace to chocolate fireguards.

56
-1
Julian
Julian
3 years ago

20 million doses for hard to reach people?
How are there possibly going to be 20m unvaccinated people left when the rollout of the other jabs is done?

19
-1
wendy
wendy
3 years ago
Reply to  Julian

I am planning on staying very hard to reach!

106
-1
Rowan
Rowan
3 years ago
Reply to  wendy

You are not alone.

61
0
Marcus Aurelius knew
Marcus Aurelius knew
3 years ago
Reply to  wendy

Same here, I feel there are many like us.

50
0
Julian
Julian
3 years ago
Reply to  Marcus Aurelius knew

Sorry to say that almost 100% of my friends, family and colleagues have been jabbed or plan to be

20
0
HaylingDave
HaylingDave
3 years ago
Reply to  Julian

Me too. We are the control group. Stay strong – we’ll have to re-populate the earth in a few years time.

36
0
OMatt
OMatt
3 years ago
Reply to  HaylingDave

As a guy, I’m very much looking forward to this whole “repopulate” business.

19
-1
Paul B
Paul B
3 years ago
Reply to  OMatt

Read my mind, I’m good for a while yet, I hope…

8
0
Bella Donna
Bella Donna
3 years ago
Reply to  OMatt

LOL!

1
0
Annie
Annie
3 years ago
Reply to  OMatt

Most women, I’m sure, are not. OK by me, though, I’m over age.

6
-1
sophie123
sophie123
3 years ago
Reply to  Annie

Snap!

4
-1
HelenaHancart
HelenaHancart
3 years ago
Reply to  OMatt

Down boy!

2
0
marebobowl
marebobowl
3 years ago
Reply to  HaylingDave

I am 71 I declined and will continue to do so. Looking for a place to live where I am not forced to take this poison.

15
0
Greyjaybee
Greyjaybee
3 years ago
Reply to  marebobowl

Same here.

6
0
Puddleglum
Puddleglum
3 years ago
Reply to  HaylingDave

I’m a bit old to be involved in repopulation, however I intend to hang around to teach the young.

6
0
RickH
RickH
3 years ago
Reply to  Julian

You have my empathy. The rationales vary – but it’s getting hard to find those who have given snake oil the finger.

5
0
HelenaHancart
HelenaHancart
3 years ago
Reply to  Julian

None of my immediate family have had or want the jabs. Quite a few friends have suddenly said they don’t want it either! There is some hope.

12
0
Annie
Annie
3 years ago
Reply to  wendy

See you in Hardtoreachville.

20
0
ebygum
ebygum
3 years ago

Hardly a selling point, Roll-Up, Roll-Up, get your blood clot in one dose instead of two! Bargain!!

68
-2
Rowan
Rowan
3 years ago
Reply to  ebygum

It is not possible to give informed consent for any of the Covid vaccines, unless of course you happen to be suicidal.

42
0
charleyfarley
charleyfarley
3 years ago
Reply to  Rowan

Absolutely spot on! You can’t say there has been any informed consent if it is based on the lie that there is a deadly disease that threatens us all. That is before you consider the finer points of what exactly people were told or not told pre-vaccination about risk and relevance to that individual.
We are witnessing a monstrous crime whose consequences are likely to be suffered for at least a generation.

42
0
TheFascistCoronaFraud
TheFascistCoronaFraud
3 years ago

Johnson & Johnson Has a Long Rap Sheet — Why Should We Trust Its Vaccine?
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/johnson-johnson-why-trust-vaccine/

We need to seriously challenge J&J’s reputation. A 2019 report by the British intelligence firm Alva has noted that J&J’s reputation has sunk dramatically during the past years, from ninth place among 58 major pharmaceutical firms to 57th place. Certainly, this is not a company with a clean ethical record.

A review of J&J’s rap sheet over the past three decades presents a dire and contrary image that should lead us to question the company’s claims about its COVID-19 vaccine given the lucrative market the pandemic has created for the most aggressive medical corporations.

Read the article and hit the links. ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING!

35
0
Bella Donna
Bella Donna
3 years ago
Reply to  TheFascistCoronaFraud

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/health/baby-powder-cancer.html

2
0
monica coyle
monica coyle
3 years ago
Reply to  TheFascistCoronaFraud

I can’t wait to see Hancock tried for his crimes against humanity

Last edited 3 years ago by monica coyle
10
0
yohodi
yohodi
3 years ago

Emergency use authorisation for 4 vaccines?..Aw c’mon..

34
0
WorriedCitizen
WorriedCitizen
3 years ago

For fuck’s sake!
CDC has a warning on it and we’ve placed an order, that on top of the 60m doses earlier this week
of another poison I can’t remember the name of! How many people really live here then?

28
0
adamino
adamino
3 years ago

Them: another vaccine. Take the vaccine. Vaccine. Vaccine. Take it. Save lives. Save the NHS. Take it. Then you’ll be free. Freedom. Do you want it? Freedom. Vaccine.
Me: how many times do you need me to tell you to fuck off?!

91
0
Jaguarpig
Jaguarpig
3 years ago
Reply to  adamino

Here here, wife and I binned another 2 vax invites today.

28
0
helenf
helenf
3 years ago
Reply to  Jaguarpig

I find it a bit spooky that I only ever had one, and that was months ago. I was inundated with invites for the flu jab, which I also refused.

8
0
MadJock1
MadJock1
3 years ago

Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the approval as “a further boost to the U.K.’s hugely successful vaccination programme, which has already saved over 13,000 lives”…

How the hell can he make such an outrageous statement. Were these 13,000 people about to be executed and Hancock has given them a reprieve? Were they in immediate mortal danger and someone with a syringe of vaccine rushed in and saved them like a fireman dragging them from a burning building.. ? This is utter garbage.

78
-1
steve_w
steve_w
3 years ago
Reply to  MadJock1

Hancock murdered 40,000 by forcing the NHS to send diseased patients into care homes

69
0
Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  MadJock1

Is this reason number 16-21?
What a lying POS handoncock is

19
0
Margaret
Margaret
3 years ago
Reply to  MadJock1

It’s been estimated by two different studies that between 200,000 and 500,000 in the U.K. will die as a result of lockdowns from delayed treatments etc etc., so 13,000 “lives saved” doesn’t sound all that many in comparison does it? Must do better Matt!

40
0
chris c
chris c
3 years ago
Reply to  MadJock1

Here’s a clue, no lives have EVER been saved, just extended a bit.

(Well there was that guy 2000 years ago but that’s just an anecdote)

4
0
PJ1
PJ1
3 years ago

In the USA, the Catholic bishops have formally advised people wanting a vaccination to steer away from the J&J vaccine because of its greater link to abortion than the others available there.

11
-1
Annie
Annie
3 years ago
Reply to  PJ1

So a little link to abortion is ok, but a big link isn’t.
They used to call this casuistry. As Pascal pointed out long ago, casuistry can be used to justify anything, up to and including murder.

6
0
PJ1
PJ1
3 years ago
Reply to  Annie

Actually casuistry is reasoning your way through moral dilemmas and there is nothing wrong with that in principal. And if you want to be absolutist on the question of abortion then using the NHS in any form wouldn’t be justifiable. However, abortion is a reason why I wouldn’t use any of the vaccines – the danger of covid is just simply not great enough when balanced against the association of any of these particular vaccines with abortion.

4
0
StPiosCafe
StPiosCafe
3 years ago

the external action service has assessed vaccine disinformation:
https://euvsdisinfo.eu/eeas-special-report-update-short-assessment-of-narratives-and-disinformation-around-the-covid-19-pandemic-update-december-2020-april-2021/

0
-11
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
3 years ago
Reply to  StPiosCafe

Thanks for the link.

You lot at 77 have been quiet lately.

How’s little fon?

16
-1
Annie
Annie
3 years ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

Little fon
Just carries on.
He’s not yet in 77
Heaven.

11
0
ebygum
ebygum
3 years ago
Reply to  StPiosCafe

Decided to read it. It’s an odd document published by the EEAS who work for the European Union. It’s main thrust is about disinformation from Russia and China in relation to European Vaccinations, and about disinformation in the eastern block re the same. As I said, an odd document, but not about antivaxx type disinformation. I’m not sure it informs us of anything we didn’t know, namely that China and Russia are liars and involved in one upmanship and the EU isn’t far behind!

5
0
crisisgarden
crisisgarden
3 years ago

I’m sold. Wasn’t sure about the other ones but now the J&J is finally here, I’m gonna go for it. After all they do make great talc… wait… no, I’ve changed my mind. They can fuck off.

50
0
zoe
zoe
3 years ago

If you look at the label in the vaccine package, in the US it adds in small blue fonts: For use under Emergency Use Authorisation

However, this is not mentioned anywhere in the UK label.

Why?

19
0
djaustin
djaustin
3 years ago
Reply to  zoe

EU does not approve under Emergency Use Authorisation (a temporary approval that must be renewed or withdrawn and comes with tight monitoring conditions), EMA has provision called Article 5(3) that says individual states are free to decide to use a new medicine. MHRA gives formal approval based on available data.

2
0
Cecil B
Cecil B
3 years ago

How stupid can you get

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57260463

7
0
ebygum
ebygum
3 years ago
Reply to  Cecil B

I cant think of a word because stupid doesn’t cut it does it? We have a saying in Barnsley, ‘yer can’t educate pork!’ Fitting in these circumstances.

15
0
Jaguarpig
Jaguarpig
3 years ago
Reply to  Cecil B

No comments, mine would have been what a complete twat.

3
0
Annie
Annie
3 years ago
Reply to  Cecil B

A well-programmed robot.

4
0
DomW
DomW
3 years ago

Estimated phase 3 study completion date: 2 Jan 2023

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/shEstimatedow/NCT04505722

No thanks

8
0
Ross Hendry
Ross Hendry
3 years ago

Mike Yeadon is right. We are in the presence of great evil.

Everyday proves that he’s right with, for example, officialdom turning a deliberately blind eye to the dangers of the barely tested “vaccines” while all the evidence shows that the pandemic (sic) is disappearing faster than they can dream up new exotic-sounding variants.

For crying out loud, how can we turn the tables on these buggers? It’s not going to be easy. Too many nincompoops accept whatever they read in the bought and paid for MSM.

Last edited 3 years ago by Ross Hendry
53
0
Just Stop it Now
Just Stop it Now
3 years ago
Reply to  Ross Hendry

We will ONLY make any headway with a political approach; funding, eloquent spokesmen, charismatic leader, volunteer network, professional social media and comms and based on a strong grassroots presence. At https://backtonormal.org.uk/ we have the grassroots local presence across the UK and a unique approach (old school, below-the-radar doorstep delivery) which could be the start of at least one component of the required mix.

Anything else is, I’m afraid, just a pressure group in a crowded field

Back To Normal Ivermectin.jpg
7
0
Mike Yeadon
Mike Yeadon
3 years ago
Reply to  Ross Hendry

Thanks. I’d MUCH rather be wrong, but I’m not. I’m not only good at what I do (essentially, scientific pattern spotting when there’s insufficient data for most people) but I’m now completely obsessive. I don’t do anything else but this, really.
And the more we look at what’s happening around the world as well as the direction of travel, the only question I have is “Has the trigger already been pulled or not?”
I’ve been surprised at the toxicity of these ‘first generation’ vaccines, but that’s based on the assumption that Gen 1 is mostly about getting people onto vaccine passports.
I’ve also weighted the extreme lying about variants (and the narrative that additional vaccinations will be required) as meaningful.
I’ve seen an even darker suggestion that holds that ADE will kill the majority who have already been vaccinated. That would be pretty distressing.
I mean, you’d need facilities to store the dead bodies.
Like this?

F9DB9E1D-61AF-46F9-95C8-2BAEA95DD036.png
3
0
sophie123
sophie123
3 years ago

Picking up the offspring for half term today, having coffee with the other parents.

One confided their half term plans had changed as her husband had come down with shingles.

“oh? and did he have the vaccine about 2 weeks ago?”

What a surprise. He had. She had no idea it could be related. Obviously no yellow card. And no clue that it was anything other than a coincidence. CRIMINAL.

Shingles can leave you lifelong post herpetic neuralgia. It should not be trivialised.

39
0
JohnK
JohnK
3 years ago
Reply to  sophie123

Makes sense. For the benefit of some who might not be aware, ‘Shingles’ is caused by a ‘dormant’ virus that we have in stock for many years after dealing with Chickenpox. I had Shingles in the middle of winter 2012/13. In my case it was treated with Aciclovir, and no real problem. Of course, at that time the pharmacy and the surgery was open for normal business!

1
0
I am Spartacas
I am Spartacas
3 years ago

People keep pumping these vaccines into there bodies – what could possibly go wrong?

3
0
marebobowl
marebobowl
3 years ago

The same J & J vaccine paused in the USA? Since when did blood clotting caused by a “vaccine” be considered OKAY? Does anyone else see this as a problem? Please read the most recent CDC VAERS released yesterday. Makes for an eye watering read.

8
0
ellie-em
ellie-em
3 years ago

To the monsters behind it all, it wouldn’t matter a jot if some people spontaneously combusted after being injected…and sadly, there would still be people queuing up for it because the injection saves lives…

8
0
Cerulean
Cerulean
3 years ago

German Scientists Find How Broken Parts Of COVID-19 Vaccines Mutate To Trigger Blood Clots

German scientists have found out how the broken parts of Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines branded as Covishield in India mutate to trigger blood clots in recipients. Scientists say the vaccine is sent into the cell nucleus instead of surrounding fluid, where parts of it break off and create mutated versions of themselves. The mutated versions then enter the body and trigger the blood clots.

https://greatgameindia.com/broken-vaccines-mutate-blood-clots/

Last edited 3 years ago by Cerulean
6
0
JJS
JJS
3 years ago

How the hell are we going to get rid of these people ? Johnson, Hancock, the rest of those dosey twats in the House of Commons, Drs that tow the line, politicians that tow the line, journalists that are too dim not to tow the line ?

1
0

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