When Tory MP and former Home Secretary and Suella Braverman tried to speak at Cambridge University last week, the university authorities caved into a pro-Palestine mob and allowed her to be cancelled. This is very worrying for free speech at our universities, writes Braverman in the Telegraph. Here’s an excerpt.
When an elected member of our Parliament is not allowed to speak, something must be wrong. When it happens on the campus of one of our world-class universities, then we have a crisis. This is exactly what happened to me last week, at Cambridge, my alma mater.
My views on issues such as Brexit, immigration, the Israel-Hamas conflict and identity politics are well known and clear. For better or worse, ambiguity isn’t my style.
These are the very same views held by millions of people around the country who voted Conservative only a few months ago at the general election. Many may disagree with me but these opinions are not illegal, extremist or hateful. Most of them were contained in our manifesto.
And yet my scheduled visit to speak to the Cambridge University Conservative Association (which I used to chair) was jumped upon by “Cambridge for Palestine” who branded it “far-Right”, urging their members to protest outside the venue.
This, in itself, did not deter the organisers or myself: I’m used to the rough and tumble of politics and sadly, for the students concerned, being a Conservative on campus these days comes with its downsides. Besides, the right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and one that I respect.
But it’s what happened next that sent chills down my spine. The university authorities, together with the police and other security services, issued stark and unequivocal warnings to the organisers that the event would present a safety risk to the attendees and that it could only proceed if extra security was put on, at a cost of more than £1,000.
It is intriguing that, following the public outcry, the police and authorities have now backed away from the advice they issued last week. But be in no doubt, the organisers were pressured to cancel the event by those “in charge” because I was deemed too risky and the protesters could not be managed.
The perversity of where we have got to cannot be overstated. The bullies, who wanted to intimidate and harass, were not policed but instead enabled. While those of us going about our business peacefully, privately and respectfully were shut down. …
This Labour Government doesn’t care about the crisis. By blocking the Higher Education (Free Speech) Act 2023 from fully coming into force, the Government has scrapped the very protections that would have prevented last week’s fiasco.
“Unless the tide is turned,” she concludes, “this story does not end well: we cannot allow our universities to lead society’s descent into such oppression.”
Worth reading in full.
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