‘Sinister politics’ Students protest in bid to block talk by Yaron Brook
DEBATE has been sparked after activists at the University of Bristol held a protest against a controversial speaker who was invited to attend a private event.
Protesters barricaded the door of a university society’s event at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, at which libertarian Yaron Brook was scheduled to appear.
Brook was asked to speak by the university’s Liberty Society about the causes of war in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, and the event was also used as a fundraiser for the Ukrainian war effort.
But the door was barricaded by activists, who played loud music through speakers, banged on doors and chanted, which caused the event to be shortened slightly.
The protesters have accused Mr Brook, who is the chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute, of having “hateful” and “sinister” politics due to his views on US imperialism, Islam and Palestine.
Mr Brook has previously advocated for a ban on Muslims immigrating into the US and Europe on the basis that the western world is “at war with radical Islam”.
He also supports Israel in its conflict with Palestine, which led to the deaths of 5,600 Palestinians and 250 Israelis between 2008 and 2020, according to data published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Student Action Bristol, which organised the protest, did not respond to requests for comment.
But in the aftermath of the event, it claimed it had “no choice” but to block Brook from speaking.
In a statement posted on social media, it wrote: “Yaron Brook represents a sinister politics, one which harms the most vulnerable students in our university.
“He wears a suit and speaks the language of power – but his ideas are no different to those of Tommy Robinson or Nick Griffin. Should he or his kind attempt to speak at the university again, we will be back and in greater numbers.”
But Mr Brook told the Post he did not agree with the attempt to “silence” him, and said the students should have tried to engage him in a debate instead.
He said: “I completely accept the fact that people have a right to protest; they don’t like what I have to say.
“What I don’t think is acceptable, and what I don’t think the university should allow, is the disruption of an event.
“We invited them in to ask questions but they didn’t want to come in under those terms. Their whole goal was to silence me and I think that’s unacceptable.”
Mr Brook also denied having “hateful” views on Israel or on Islam, and said that the claims that the protesters had made about him were “ridiculous”.
He said: “If we only accept mainstream views I think we’ll be doing a huge disservice to the culture in which we live, and I think particularly the universities where we’re supposed to be thinking a bit outside of the box.”
Some other students at the university have criticised the activists’ actions. Eshaan Badesha, who is the treasurer of the university’s Labour Club society, said he despised Brook’s views but did not agree with the protest.
The 20-year-old said that, while he might have supported direct action if Brook had been invited to speak publicly, such as at a rally, he did not support trying to shut down debate at a private
He wears a suit and speaks the language of power – but his ideas are no different to those of Tommy Robinson Student Action Bristol
event.
He said: “If the SU thought it was acceptable to have, then we don’t think we should allow students not to have their right to have that speaker talk. He was there as a libertarian promoting his philosophy and promoting his view on the Ukraine crisis, and I feel like that was perhaps a step too far.”
The Liberty Society wrote a lengthy statement on its Facebook page condemning the actions of the students.
It said: “The society does not necessarily endorse the views of our speakers and we encourage debate and discussion between students. Attempted censorship on campus is no longer looming in the shadows but is vividly on display in one of the most prestigious universities in the world.”
A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “The university adheres to the principles of free speech and all views, including those that can be difficult to hear for some, should be able to be expressed and heard with tolerance and mutual respect. Our security team were in attendance to ensure that the event was conducted safely.”