FSU at Freshers Fair

Vinay Kapoor, Education and Engagement Officer

30 September 2026

As universities return after the summer, I have spent the freshers period travelling the country with younger members of FSU staff and students the FSU has worked with, to promote the Free Speech Union's work at freshers fairs for the very first time. Across four fairs, in Glasgow, London, Nottingham, and Manchester, we introduced students to our work with young people. This included the Ian Mactaggart Programme (the grant scheme the FSU administers to fund student debates, societies, and publications) and our half-price membership offer for students. We also wanted to encourage students to engage with free speech and its broader principles, so at each stand we put a question about free speech to passers-by and invited them to answer it.

Glasgow

We began on 12 September at Freshers Festival Glasgow, at the Scottish Event Campus, where I was joined by two students the FSU has worked with. Our whiteboard asked whether free speech should have any limits. A few argued there should be none at all. Most felt that "hate speech" was a legitimate limit, which led to the question we debated all day: where, if anywhere, free speech ends and "hate speech" begins. Many drew the line at slurs, racist or discriminatory remarks, and incitement to violence. Yet many also saw how arbitrarily such rules can be applied in practice, which is exactly what the FSU sees in its casework.

London

A week later we were at Freshers Festival London, at the Business Design Centre in Islington, joined by Connie Shaw, the FSU's External Affairs Officer. The crowd included sixth-formers as well as undergraduates from across London. This time we asked people to write down their most controversial opinion and post it anonymously into a box. More than a hundred and fifty did, and their answers ranged from gender-critical positions and scepticism about immigration to support for Palestine, for DEI, and for free university education.

Nottingham

At the University of Nottingham's fair on 23 September, we tried a different question, asking students for one opinion they had changed their mind about, or one they would never compromise on. This time, answers were given openly rather than anonymously, and the difference was striking. Many students were reluctant to answer at all in front of others, and those who did tended to keep to safer ground, such as individual rights and freedom of choice. The contrast with the anonymous box at other fairs was a small but telling example of the self-censorship we increasingly see on campus: when a question touches on anything contentious, many students will only answer if their name is not attached.

Manchester

We finished on 26 September at Freshers Festival Manchester, at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, where the anonymous box returned and drew the widest range of views of the tour. Answers included support for Palestine and for Israel, gender-critical views, opposition to immigration, sympathy for Charlie Kirk after his assassination, and criticism of Donald Trump and Reform UK. Most of those we spoke to were starting at Manchester Metropolitan University, and many of the answers turned into good-faith debates at the stand.

In every city, people disagreed with one another, and sometimes with us, but almost nobody was unwilling to talk. My thanks go to the students and colleagues who helped staff our stands, and to everyone who stopped by.

With term under way, I will now be visiting the societies the Ian Mactaggart Programme supports across the country, meeting their committees and attending their events.

If you are a student and not yet a member, you can join for £14.99, half the usual rate, with the code FRESHERS26 until 31 October. If you want to start a free speech society, or run another project that promotes open debate at your university, you can apply to the Ian Mactaggart Programme at freespeechunion.org/ian-mactaggart-programme.