Left-wing protesters target top academic’s LSE speech on benefits
LEFT-WING activists have silenced an academic due to give a university talk on how the welfare state alters personalities of those on benefits.
The London School of Economics lecture has been postponed indefinitely after campaigners threatened to disrupt it.
They had been organising a protest against neurobiologist Dr Adam Perkins, who they accused of demonising the disabled and long-term unemployed.
The King’s College London academic had been due to present data from his book examining the link between personality and the welfare state.
His research found ‘individuals with aggressive, rule-breaking and antisocial personality characteristics are overrepresented among welfare claimants’.
But activists – who he said had not even read his research – labelled the event ‘nauseating’ and threatened to ‘shut it down’.
The cancellation is an escalation of recent ‘no-platforming’ incidents, in which students have attempted to stop speakers with whom they disagree from appearing.
Until now, they have focused on political campaigners and provocateurs, but this incident appears to show that even academics presenting work can be targets. Last night, Dr Perkins said he was ‘ saddened’ by the activists’ ‘knee-jerk reaction’, which he said may discourage researchers from carrying out similar studies.
He said: ‘I was surprised by it. I think some of these people have got the wrong end of the stick about the book. It actually has a fairly positive message that we can improve the welfare state by taking advantage of personality research, although there are some findings which some people will find uncomfortable.
‘Certain people are primed to be outraged by data they don’t like. But there’s no place for outrage in science. People are afraid to speak up about challenging topics for fear of abuse, but data will always win in the end.
‘It is absurd to protest against data without offering any counter-data. This is a new and unfortunate turn of events.’
Dr Perkins has already seen his work criticised by those who say it stigmatises the long-term unemployed. His book, The Welfare Trait, suggests that, as personality is partly formed by environmental factors, a welfare state that increases the number of children born into disadvantage can proliferate employment-resistant characteristics.
Dr Perkins said the research builds on more than 100 peerreviewed studies and the findings have been discussed in academia for decades.
But he said researchers ‘don’t want to talk about it publicly because they know that it would be a risk to their career’.
In the run-up to his LSE talk earlier this month, his views were denounced as ‘grotesque’ on Twitter, and disability rights group Black Triangle appeared to be organising a protest. The group’s Facebook page said: ‘I think [Work and Pensions Secretary] Iain Duncan Smith would love this idea as it fits the Tory notion of “benefits scroungers”.’
One Twitter user appeared to call on student campaign groups Occupy LSE and the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts to protest at the event.
Another woman wrote of the lecture: ‘Nauseating. This is how the further dismantling of welfare and demonisation of claim- ants will be justified.’ Organisers postponed the event with just days to go, claiming ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
It is understood they hope to reschedule when a more robust security team can be enlisted.
An LSE spokesman said: ‘The speaker and organisers were aware of some negative social media activity and the postponement is to ensure the safe and smooth running of the event, once it is rescheduled.’
The LSE has been at the centre of controversy in the past. In 2011 the LSE was criticised by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf for a ‘ chapter of failures’ in its links with the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
Sir Howard Davies, resigned as the school’s director in March 2011 over a £1.5million gift from a foundation led by Colonel Gaddafi’s son Saif, a former student.
The LSE said that it had accepted all of Lord Woolf ’s recommendations.
‘Knee-jerk reaction’