Robust new laws have come into place to protect free speech at English universities.
Under the new rules, which will shield students, academics and external speakers, universities must “actively promote academic freedom”.
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Robust new laws are coming into place today to protect free speech at English universities
Professor Arif Ahmed, the OfS’s director for free speech and academic freedom, has warned institutions in breach of the new law could face record penalties.
In March, the University of Sussex was given a landmark fine of £585,000 after it was found to have failed to uphold free speech.
The fine came after a three-and-a-half year investigation into the resignation of Professor Kathleen Stock, launched after high-profile protests calling for her dismissal over her gender-critical views.
The probe found that the institution’s trans and non-binary equality policy statement had a “chilling effect” of possible self-censorship of students and staff.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “Academic freedom is non-negotiable in our world-leading institutions, and we will not tolerate the silencing of academics or students who voice legitimate views.
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‘Academic freedom is non-negotiable in our world-leading institutions,’ Jacqui Smith vowed
“These strengthened protections make this explicitly clear in law, and the record fine already handed down by the OfS has put universities on notice that they must comply or face the consequences.”
Prof Ahmed, meanwhile, added: “Free speech and academic freedom are fundamental to the quality of students’ education and their experience in higher education.
“From today, universities and colleges take on new legal duties to secure and promote freedom of speech and academic freedom.”
Earlier this year, Professor Dennis Hayes, the director of Academics For Academic Freedom (Afaf) explained his group deals “daily” with casework on academics who have been “disciplined or threatened” for speaking their minds in “institutionally captured” universities.
Afaf runs a “banned list” of “silenced” academics, groups and public figures stretching back two decades.
However, Hayes told GB News how this was “only the tip of the iceberg”.
The Free Speech Union, meanwhile, estimated that 20 per cent of the nearly 4,000 cases which they have dealt with in the last five years have involved universities.
And just this month, Professor Eric Kaufmann hit out at “spineless” Cardiff University after he was “deplatformed” for his views on Israel.
Speaking to GB News, Kaufmann accused the university of “playing games” with free speech.