This is an article that appeared in the Oxford Magazine by Dr Bryn Harris, the FSU’s Chief Legal Counsel, and Karolien Celie, the FSU’s Legal Officer.

We’ve written to the Education Secretary and the Universities Minister to thank them for introducing two amendments that we campaigned for – removing the caveat “within their field of expertise” from Clause 1, so the new free speech protections apply to academics regardless of whether their speaking or writing about something within their field of expertise or not, and making it harder for “security costs” to be cited by universities

We’ve written to Moshe Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld, about his decision to cancel all showings of The Lady of Heaven in response to protests from a small group of intolerant Islamic extremists. We have pointed out that this sets a dangerous precedent – will he grant the same veto power to far right extremists in future? – and asked him to reconsider his decision.

We’ve written to the Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University, Professor Nick Jennings, after our member, Dr Jon Pike of the Open University, was removed from a seminar on ‘trans inclusion in women’s sport’ for asking questions about the fairness of allowing biological men to compete against female athletes. Dr Pike is a world-leading expert in this area and his expertise has been sought by numerous international sports bodies. We consider this

We’ve written to Professor George Boyne, the Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, about the no-platforming of Alex Salmond on 22nd April. Mr Salmond had been invited to speak at the Aberdeen University Student Golf Club, but the invitation was rescinded after student activists objected that because Mr Salmond is opposed to Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill – which will make it easier for trans people to

We’ve written to Matthew Rycroft CBE, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, to complain about a directive to Home Office staff to include their pronouns in their email signatures. We are concerned that this instruction, which appears to be mandatory, is a form of compelled speech that violates the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the right to free speech (Articles 9 and 10 of the

We’ve written to the Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust asking him to apologise to the author and journalist Helen Joyce after she was no-platformed at a one-day conference for trainee NHS psychiatrists about the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria. Dr Joyce was due to speak on one of the panels, but was disinvited after transactivists who were due to appear at the conference

We’ve written to Mr David Isaac CBE, the Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, asking him to retract his apology to students after they complained about the use of College facilities by the Wilberforce Academy, a summer school run by Christian Concern, and withdraw the ban he imposed on further bookings by the Academy. He apologised last year – and announced the ban – after students accused the attendees of the

We’ve been helping a group of academics at Cardiff who’ve been targeted and harassed for asking the University to look again at its membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme. Cardiff has failed to take appropriate action, despite threats of violence against these academics, and has even misplaced evidence related to the case. The Free Speech Union has written to the Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff, Professor Colin Riordan, to ask him to

We’ve written to Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education, urging him to intervene in the situation at Cardiff University where several of our members and their colleagues, all academic staff, have been targeted by trans activists in a long-running campaign of intimidation. It began in June 2021 after the academics urged Cardiff to reconsider its continuing participation in the Stonewall Diversity Champion scheme. Following this, a leaflet was distributed on