Academics fear for their jobs if they speak out

STUDENTS have so much power on university campuses that lecturers fear discussing subjects such as “transgender issues” or the “morality of gay marriage” for fear of being sacked, an academic has claimed.

Professor Dennis Hayes, a cofounder of Academics for Academic Freedom, said that universities were now ruled by a “culture of censorious quietude” where academics were not able to discuss “anything difficult”.

Speaking at the University of Buckingham yesterday, Prof Hayes added: “There’s an interesting turn today, it’s not that people are abusive, it’s just that they don’t say anything at all … there’s so many things that could be discussed that you dare not say.

“And the consequences of arguing anything difficult is potentially that you could be sacked. Gay rights, feminism, gender fluidity, fear of Islamaphobia … just discussing any of these things can get you in serious trouble if not the sack.

“What exists in universities is a culture of censorious quietude. Try arguing ‘there are boys and girls’ … or as John Mcenroe has found out, that there are male and female tennis players. Things are simply not discussed. Academics and students … they go silent. They may even take delight in people who stand up and get beaten for their views.”

Discussing his decision to found a pro-free speech group in 2006, Prof Hayes added that he wanted academics to feel “free” to discuss controversial subjects on campus.

His warning came as Jo Johnson, the Universities Minister, said that the erosion of freedom of speech on campus jeopardised Britain’s standing as an “intellectual powerhouse”.

“Freedom of speech is a core legal duty for universities … one of their purposes is to create a climate in which people should feel free to challenge received wisdom and challenge conventional opinion.”