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We’ve written a letter to the governing body of Eton College in support of one of our members, Will Knowland, whose recent dismissal as a teacher at Eton – and his ongoing appeal against that decision – has been extensively discussed in the press. The alleged rationale behind Mr Knowland’s dismissal, as far as it has been made public, is that Mr Knowland refused to remove his 30-minute YouTube teaching video following a complaint by a fellow teacher, thereby exposing Eton to potential liability under the Equality Act 2010.

While we dispute this claim, in our letter we address the broader legal aspects of the case. Eton College is a charity, and as such it has a duty to further the public benefit through its educational activities. This duty is, ultimately, the responsibility of the trustees of the College (known as “Fellows”). We pose a number of questions to the Fellows, seeking to understand their role in this case, and to establish whether they are properly carrying out their duties in relation to the beneficiaries of the charity – the pupils of Eton and the wider public.

UPDATE: We have now received a reply from Lord Waldegrave – see below.

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Letter to the Provost and Fellows of Eton CollegeRead More »

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A version of this statement in French can be found here.

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We’ve written a letter to Lord Grabiner, Master of Clare College, Cambridge, sticking up for Kevin Price, a porter at the college who has been targeted by student activists for not signing up to the trans agenda. Last week, Mr Price stood down as a Cambridge City Councillor and resigned his membership of the Labour Party because he felt he couldn’t vote for a motion that began with the words: “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary individuals are non-binary.”

In his remarks to the Council, which have attracted the ire of student activists at Clare College, Mr Price affirmed his commitment to trans rights, but noted that trans rights sometimes conflict with women’s rights and criticised the unwillingness of trans activists and their allies to enter into a discussion about how to balance these competing rights in a calm and evidence-based way. Instead, they are prone to making blanket assertions – such as “trans women are women”, which effectively means trans rights should be given priority over women’s rights – and brand anyone who disagrees with those assertions a “transphobe” or a “bigot”. If we understand Mr Price’s argument correctly, he felt he couldn’t vote for the motion because it was siding with those who adopt this dogmatic position, refuse to acknowledge that supporting the rights of transwomen in some cases breaches the rights of women and expressing a view that effectively means that trans rights should always take priority.

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Letter to Lord GrabinerRead More »

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The Free Speech Union has written to Professor Paul Layzell, the Principal of Royal Holloway, part of the University of London, objecting to the no-platforming of the ex-Labour MP Chris Williamson. Mr Williamson was originally invited to the Royal Holloway Debating Society, but the invitation was rescinded after some objections were raised by the local Labour Party and a number of student societies. We believe Royal Holloway is in breach of its own policy on upholding free speech and could well be in breach of s.43 of the Education (No.2) Act 1986. No-platforming a speaker at the behest of those who disagree with the speaker’s political views after an invitation has already gone out is also contrary to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s official guidance. We have asked Professor Layzell to intervene and ensure that the invitation to Mr Williamson is reissued and the debate goes ahead as planned.

UPDATE: We have received a response from the Royal Holloway Students’ Union – see below for details.
UPDATE: We have also received a response from Prof Layzell – see below for details.

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Letter to Prof Paul Layzell on the No-platforming of Chris WilliamsonRead More »

We were recently contacted by one of our members, Darren Grimes, regarding a YouTube interview he conducted with Dr David Starkey in June. He told us that he had been asked by police to appear at a police station to be interviewed under caution, or be arrested if he refused to attend “voluntarily”. This was over remarks that his interviewee Dr Starkey had made during the interview, and the crime being investigated was that of “sitrring up racial hatred” under the Public Order Act 1986 s.22. This is unprecedented both because of the fact that a law intended to maintain public order is being used to regulate speech and debate, but also because the target is not the person who made the allegedly inflammatory remarks but the interviewer – something that could have far-reaching implications for journalists and broadcasters. We managed to find a solicitor willing to represent Mr Grimes pro bono, and issued the following statement:

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The College Historical Society of Trinity College, Dublin – known as the Hist – recently disinvited Prof Richard Dawkins from speaking at the Society. Their Auditor Brid O’Donnell issued a statement citing his “opinions on Islam and sexual assault” and apologising for having invited him. This is part of a trend: their recent pro-BLM “Apology Statement” singles out Nigel Farage as someone whose views should never have been heard at the Hist.

On learning of Prof Dawkins’ disinvitation, we wrote a letter to Brid O’Donnell pointing out their legal obligations and urging them to consider the value of open debate in a free society – a lesson today’s students seem increasingly unwilling to learn. You can read that letter below.

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The Free Speech Union has learned from concerned parents and media reports that certain schools have instituted blanket bans on “joking about coronavirus” and we believe this to be an unreasonable restriction with potentially disproportionate punishments, such as being placed in isolation.

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Schools Should Not “Isolate” Pupils Who Joke About CovidRead More »