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In the Media

Articles That Mention the Free Speech Union

Sacked Eton teacher LOSES appeal: College UPHOLDS decision to axe tutor in “toxic masculinity” lecture row despite uproar from pupils

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In a statement, the union said: “The Free Speech Union is disappointed to learn that Eton’s governing body has decided to uphold the decision to sack our member Will Knowland. [… We] will be referring Eton’s trustees to the Charity Commission and the Attorney General for failing to discharge their duty to protect Eton’s reputation and to ensure it is pursuing its charitable object, which is to advance education for the benefit of its students.”

James Robinson, MailOnline, 14th December 2020.

Cambridge is a template for defending free speech

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There are important lessons here. One is the powerfully disparate nature of the victorious coalition. Its eloquent moving spirit, Dr Arif Ahmed, is a libertarian atheist philosopher, but his cause gathered support from feminists persecuted by transgender activists, Christians, conservatives and many scientists angry that their rigorous search for truth might fall foul of identity politics. The role of the Free Speech Union was also significant.

Charles Moore, The Daily Telegraph, 15th December 2020.

A victory for freedom at Cambridge shows the woke mob can only win if we let them

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Alarmed at the implications, a philosophy don called Arif Ahmed decided to take a professional risk. He was already on the advisory council of an outfit called the Free Speech Union (as am I), but he had not yet done anything to attract special attention from woke activists. Nonetheless, he set about gathering 25 signatures from fellow academics needed to force a vote on the matter. Doing so was not easy. Academics were afraid of being attacked by the same mob who had gotten Dr Carl fired. Eventually, however, he reached his target.

Juliet Samuel, The Daily Telegraph, 11th December 2020.

Eton College’s “woke agenda” is “promoting one political ideology over another” and could jeopardise the school’s charitable status, Free Speech Union warns

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In a letter seen by MailOnline, the Free Speech Union has disputed the College’s claim that a failure to dismiss Mr Knowland for not removing his 30-minute YouTube video could expose Eton to potential liability under the Equality Act. Director-general Toby Young accuses the school of “overstating its legal risk in relation to the Equality Act” to the exclusion of it primary duty as a charity to “provide a broad, open-minded, challenging education”.

Jack Wright, MailOnline, 6th December 2020.

The battle for Eton’s soul

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Will Knowland is a member of the Free Speech Union and I share his view that the purpose of a good education is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to make up their own minds about important issues, not to spoon-feed them ‘correct’ opinions. As he wrote in his letter, if we prioritise emotional safety over intellectual challenge and censor any views that might make students or teachers feel uncomfortable, we will sacrifice one of the most valuable things about education, which is introducing children to new worlds, expanding their horizons and helping them transcend the narrow confines of their everyday lives. It should not be about affirming children’s sense of identity as members of various ethnic and religious groups, and forcing them to tread on eggshells lest they offend someone with a ‘protected’ characteristic.

Toby Young, The Spectator, 5th December 2020.

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